[Applause]
imagine this you’re seven months
pregnant the way they’ve got your hands
shackled on either side of your belly
you’re stuck framing this fact while the
judge reads your sentence while he
speaks while he seals your fate he
doesn’t look at you you’re so tired
you’ve been awake for six days now
laying on your paper thin mattress since
they found you guilty wondering what
will happen now is the time you learn
how long it will be how many years that
is until you can sing this child to
sleep if you are ever able to at all as
the judge reads the crimes you’ve been
convicted of possession breaking and
entering
you thought the house was abandoned you
were just trying to find somewhere to
sleep you think about the few times
your mother sang to you she was probably
drunk but those were the better times
that was before she took to hard drugs
that was before she still that was
before she lost all feeling for you or
anything else before you had to
manipulate people into caring for you
and sell things you never thought you’d
sell to feed your own addiction that
grew out of years of abuse and neglect
when you Zone back in the judge is
saying four to ten four years minimum
you will have missed every first by then
learning to walk learning to talk baby
gurgles turning into laughter this is
your first child by the time you’re
released he’ll know how to ride a bike
what he won’t know anything about is you
and unless you can find someone decent
to care for him 15 months after he
enters the foster care system you will
lose all of your parental rights to him
ten months in the system and he’ll
belong to the state for years you waiver
you feel like you’re gonna pass out the
public defender studies you by the arm
you would have taken the plea you don’t
even understand how any of this works he
convinced you not to first time offense
nonviolent drug crime I mean you didn’t
even know you were pregnant when they
dragged you from that house nodding out
they tested you at County and you were
shocked that you probably would have
known had you not felt so sick all the
time anyway you’re scared four percent
of women enter the US prison system
pregnant that number may not seem like a
lot until you learn the staggering
effects of mass incarceration that four
percent is equal to thirty six thousand
women annually and it doesn’t count the
thousands of women spread throughout
county jails in this country since the
1990s the prison population among women
has risen 400%
we’re incarcerated women at a faster
rate than ever before
driven by mandatory minimums carceral
response to meth and opioid epidemic an
extreme lack of domestic violence
shelters affordable housing and mental
health services and like every acute
societal problem poor people and people
of color are much more directly impacted
it’s my belief that prisons are not
overpopulated populations are over
imprisoned women
looks a lot different than men going to
prison not just because of the crimes
that they’re incarcerated for most of
which are nonviolent but because of the
effect on the family unit a mother is 78
percent more likely to be the head of a
household of young children when she
goes to prison and her family is far
more likely to splinter sending children
into foster care
vulnerable housing situations and
possibly back into the system when they
come of age when a mother goes to prison
the world that she has been balancing
stops
and then drops to the ground and
shatters and we don’t know where the
pieces will land so imagine this there
you are walking out of the courthouse
you feel your baby rise and kick inside
of you and you can’t even bring your
hands to him there’s a van on the street
waiting to take you to County and then a
van will be there tomorrow morning
waiting to drive you to a prison 100
miles south of anything you’ve ever
known no one has come to your trial
there’s no one to say goodbye to and you
are so scared when a mother goes to
the fear of the unknown can suffocate we
know we’ve asked them what are you most
afraid of and they say two things being
separated from my baby 24 hours after I
give birth and giving birth alone
because that’s what happens for the past
two years a dedicated team of directors
and I have been working to introduce
doula care into the Michigan Department
of Corrections a doula is a trained
birth partner that provides emotional
physical and mental support during the
prenatal birth and postpartum processes
she’s not a medical professional she
doesn’t say what’s right and wrong but
she’s there to be with you guide you
listen to you advocate for you and push
on your hips when things get real hard
for two years we’ve spoken to the women
inside MDOC officials travel to other
places around the country that are doing
projects like this we spoken to formerly
incarcerated individuals currently
incarcerated individuals people who had
their babies in prison whose children
are now incarcerated for two years we
worked on a proposal to present to
Michigan Department of Corrections in
July they allowed us to present that
proposal to them and here’s what we
offered one the continuation of
childbirth education that’s been
happening within the prison for the past
seven years but we wish to pay the
person who’s providing this care as they
they have done it on a volunteer basis
up until now we want it to be
sustainable and consistent – a doula
coordinator who will hold weekly office
hours inside the prison and provide a
continuity of care for these women
should be a listening ear a guide and
she’ll help coordinate the postpartum
reentry
ss3 and i think this is most important a
doula for every eligible prisoner a
person who meets twice prenatally
attends the birth is there at the very
painful time of separation 24 hours
after they give birth and meets in the
prison again
to do safety checks for postpartum and
to just be a face that reminds them that
the world outside still cares and for
increased networks and coordination
between the birthing hospital and the
prison we hope to be an integral part of
both processes and provide continuity
and consistency for these women as of
August the Michigan Department of
Corrections approved our proposal you
can clap
[Applause]
we’re incredibly grateful so imagine
this there’s a big problem in your
community and there are things that you
can do to help
we know our organization will never
solve the problems caused by
incarcerating pregnant women nor the
root causes of imprisonment in the first
place
nor the incredibly large effects of
incarcerating such great numbers of
people but there are small things that
we can all do if you don’t have time to
just start up a non-profit real quick
you can definitely check in with places
right in your community you can step
into the AFSC which has helped to work
on campaigns from the other side the
legislative side you can become a good
neighbor through that project google it
it’s awesome you can support our cause
which helps women in your area did you
know that there’s only one women’s
prison in Michigan and it’s an Ipsy and
you can be steadfast and your belief
that people are not the worst thing
they’ve ever done so let me leave you
with this I believe in humanity for all
people regardless of immigration status
incarceration status or age and I
believe that the care we take of the
most vulnerable people in our community
directly translates not just to help for
those people but the upward mobility of
society as a whole we can only move
forward when we support each other thank
you
[Applause]
[Music] you
imagine this you’re seven months
pregnant the way they’ve got your hands
shackled on either side of your belly
you’re stuck framing this fact while the
judge reads your sentence while he
speaks while he seals your fate he
doesn’t look at you you’re so tired
you’ve been awake for six days now
laying on your paper thin mattress since
they found you guilty wondering what
will happen now is the time you learn
how long it will be how many years that
is until you can sing this child to
sleep if you are ever able to at all as
the judge reads the crimes you’ve been
convicted of possession breaking and
entering
you thought the house was abandoned you
were just trying to find somewhere to
sleep you think about the few times
your mother sang to you she was probably
drunk but those were the better times
that was before she took to hard drugs
that was before she still that was
before she lost all feeling for you or
anything else before you had to
manipulate people into caring for you
and sell things you never thought you’d
sell to feed your own addiction that
grew out of years of abuse and neglect
when you Zone back in the judge is
saying four to ten four years minimum
you will have missed every first by then
learning to walk learning to talk baby
gurgles turning into laughter this is
your first child by the time you’re
released he’ll know how to ride a bike
what he won’t know anything about is you
and unless you can find someone decent
to care for him 15 months after he
enters the foster care system you will
lose all of your parental rights to him
ten months in the system and he’ll
belong to the state for years you waiver
you feel like you’re gonna pass out the
public defender studies you by the arm
you would have taken the plea you don’t
even understand how any of this works he
convinced you not to first time offense
nonviolent drug crime I mean you didn’t
even know you were pregnant when they
dragged you from that house nodding out
they tested you at County and you were
shocked that you probably would have
known had you not felt so sick all the
time anyway you’re scared four percent
of women enter the US prison system
pregnant that number may not seem like a
lot until you learn the staggering
effects of mass incarceration that four
percent is equal to thirty six thousand
women annually and it doesn’t count the
thousands of women spread throughout
county jails in this country since the
1990s the prison population among women
has risen 400%
we’re incarcerated women at a faster
rate than ever before
driven by mandatory minimums carceral
response to meth and opioid epidemic an
extreme lack of domestic violence
shelters affordable housing and mental
health services and like every acute
societal problem poor people and people
of color are much more directly impacted
it’s my belief that prisons are not
overpopulated populations are over
imprisoned women
looks a lot different than men going to
prison not just because of the crimes
that they’re incarcerated for most of
which are nonviolent but because of the
effect on the family unit a mother is 78
percent more likely to be the head of a
household of young children when she
goes to prison and her family is far
more likely to splinter sending children
into foster care
vulnerable housing situations and
possibly back into the system when they
come of age when a mother goes to prison
the world that she has been balancing
stops
and then drops to the ground and
shatters and we don’t know where the
pieces will land so imagine this there
you are walking out of the courthouse
you feel your baby rise and kick inside
of you and you can’t even bring your
hands to him there’s a van on the street
waiting to take you to County and then a
van will be there tomorrow morning
waiting to drive you to a prison 100
miles south of anything you’ve ever
known no one has come to your trial
there’s no one to say goodbye to and you
are so scared when a mother goes to
the fear of the unknown can suffocate we
know we’ve asked them what are you most
afraid of and they say two things being
separated from my baby 24 hours after I
give birth and giving birth alone
because that’s what happens for the past
two years a dedicated team of directors
and I have been working to introduce
doula care into the Michigan Department
of Corrections a doula is a trained
birth partner that provides emotional
physical and mental support during the
prenatal birth and postpartum processes
she’s not a medical professional she
doesn’t say what’s right and wrong but
she’s there to be with you guide you
listen to you advocate for you and push
on your hips when things get real hard
for two years we’ve spoken to the women
inside MDOC officials travel to other
places around the country that are doing
projects like this we spoken to formerly
incarcerated individuals currently
incarcerated individuals people who had
their babies in prison whose children
are now incarcerated for two years we
worked on a proposal to present to
Michigan Department of Corrections in
July they allowed us to present that
proposal to them and here’s what we
offered one the continuation of
childbirth education that’s been
happening within the prison for the past
seven years but we wish to pay the
person who’s providing this care as they
they have done it on a volunteer basis
up until now we want it to be
sustainable and consistent – a doula
coordinator who will hold weekly office
hours inside the prison and provide a
continuity of care for these women
should be a listening ear a guide and
she’ll help coordinate the postpartum
reentry
ss3 and i think this is most important a
doula for every eligible prisoner a
person who meets twice prenatally
attends the birth is there at the very
painful time of separation 24 hours
after they give birth and meets in the
prison again
to do safety checks for postpartum and
to just be a face that reminds them that
the world outside still cares and for
increased networks and coordination
between the birthing hospital and the
prison we hope to be an integral part of
both processes and provide continuity
and consistency for these women as of
August the Michigan Department of
Corrections approved our proposal you
can clap
[Applause]
we’re incredibly grateful so imagine
this there’s a big problem in your
community and there are things that you
can do to help
we know our organization will never
solve the problems caused by
incarcerating pregnant women nor the
root causes of imprisonment in the first
place
nor the incredibly large effects of
incarcerating such great numbers of
people but there are small things that
we can all do if you don’t have time to
just start up a non-profit real quick
you can definitely check in with places
right in your community you can step
into the AFSC which has helped to work
on campaigns from the other side the
legislative side you can become a good
neighbor through that project google it
it’s awesome you can support our cause
which helps women in your area did you
know that there’s only one women’s
prison in Michigan and it’s an Ipsy and
you can be steadfast and your belief
that people are not the worst thing
they’ve ever done so let me leave you
with this I believe in humanity for all
people regardless of immigration status
incarceration status or age and I
believe that the care we take of the
most vulnerable people in our community
directly translates not just to help for
those people but the upward mobility of
society as a whole we can only move
forward when we support each other thank
you
[Applause]
[Music] you
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