Women in Prison

My careers ranged from belly dancer to bricklayer with much "color" between. Then a friend surprised me with two black plastic bags of letters from a deceased girlfriend. He asked, "Please do something nice with these." He was moving out of town and not taking them.

I sat down and read for days, letters that reflected her time in prison, and I absorbed the feelings this woman dealt with and felt another career being born.

My hope is that after reading this story, families and friends of the incarcerated will better understand their loved ones' situation and their role. These women survived horrible, unspeakable violence, not always directly to them, but they were surrounded by it. Their medical and dental care was very lacking. Many will return home with symptoms of post-traumatic stress. They need to be welcomed home and afforded patience.