The Struggle Within

by Dan Berger

Anastazia Schmid

I really feel that most women incarcerated ARE political prisoners, [because]; (in the context of violent offenses most women incarcerated) A) were protecting themselves and/or a third party, namely children; or B) the actual offense was committed by a man but the woman does equal or more time for the actions of her male counterpart. In a society that remains hegemonically patriarchal and sexist, locking up women for decades or a lifetime for the aforementioned reasons is certainly political and punitively motivated and NOT based on any real sense of “safety and security” for society or “rehabilitation” of the said women. The latter especially in context of the lack of treatment for abuse/ trauma survivors, lack of counseling and family programming, lack of family reunification and opportunities for communication and bonding with children while incarcerated or mediation and assistance with incarcerated women and their children’s caregivers. When we consider the vast number of women behind bars and the collective reasons why coupled with the realities of those women versus the rhetoric being told, there is no viable basis to keep over 100,000 women in cages across this country other than political motivations for capitalist profit, power and control, and the continued oppression and marginalization of women.

Khalfani Kaldun

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