Podcasts about bedford hills correctional facility

Welcome back Dangerous Dave as he joins The Bad Girl and The Playa, as they look into one of the most controversial cases of of the 90s! Pamela Ann Smart (née Wojas; born August 16, 1967) is an American woman who was convicted of being an accomplice to first-degree murder, conspiracy to murder, and witness tampering in the death of her husband, Greggory Smart, in 1990. Smart, then aged 22, had conspired with her underaged boyfriend, then 15-year-old William "Billy" Flynn, and three of his friends to have Greggory murdered in Derry, New Hampshire. She is currently serving a life sentence at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women, a maximum security prison in Westchester County, New York. #truecrime #pamsmart #pamelasmart

On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast, we're talking about documentary filmmaking with my guest Jenifer McShane. Jenifer McShane is an independent filmmaker committed to using film to bridge understanding in situations where structural or cultural divisions typically keep people apart. Jenifer's current film The Quilters, a documentary short about a quilting group in a men's prison in Missouri recently premiered at the DC/Dox Film Festival in Washington DC and will be traveling to other film festivals this summer. Her previous film, Ernie & Joe: Crisis Cops, won an Emmy for Outstanding Editing and the Jury Award at South By Southwest. It is currently streaming on HBO. Jenifer spent over four years visiting Bedford Hills Correctional Facility in Bedford, N.Y. to make her previous documentary, Mothers of Bedford, which reveals the impact of incarceration on mothers and their children. Her first documentary which she co-directed, A Leap of Faith, was narrated by Liam Neeson and premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. Jenifer was born and raised in New York City and currently lives in Guilford, CT. +++++ If you know a crafty tween, check out Stitch Squad - a brand-new subscription box all about fiber crafts and cuteness! Each monthly box highlights a different fiber craft technique with a focus on learning new skills. With supplies to complete 2-3 projects, plus a bundle of adorable notions, craft tools + crafty surprises, it's a cute, colorful, crafty unboxing experience! All you have to do is open the box and enjoy. Gift subscriptions are available! To subscribe, visit stitchsquadbox.com and use code ALLIANCE for 20% off your first box. +++++ To get the full show notes for this episode visit Craft Industry Alliance where you can learn more about becoming a member of our supportive trade association. Strengthen your creative business, stay up to date on industry news, and build connections with forward-thinking craft professionals. Join today.

Hour Children connects incarcerated mothers with their children, who stay for a few days with volunteer families living near correctional facilities while they visit their jailed mothers. Radio Rotary welcomes back Dr. Alethea Taylor, executive director of Hour Children, along with Kate Paletta, an Hour Children volunteer for the past 18 years. Ms. Paletta cares for children of the incarcerated mother for a few days so that the children can visit their mothers at nearby Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women. Bedford Hills provides a parenting center for the visits. The visiting children interact also with Kate's four children, often forming lasting relationships. The Hour Children program raises money and brings host families, children, and mothers together at an annual Mother's Day luncheon. Learn More: Hour Children: https://hourchildren.org/ Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women: https://prisoninsight.com/correctional-facilities/state/new-york/bedford-hills-correctional-facility/ Recidivism in Women's Prisons: https://www.prisonpolicy.org/blog/2019/07/19/reentry/ CATEGORIES Children Education Humanitarian Service Service Organizations Women Words for Search: Prison programs, Children, Women's programs, Recidivism, Parenting Centers --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/radiorotary/support

Hour Children is a remarkable group of programs that, among other assistance, connects incarcerated mothers with their children. Its name acknowledges the key hours that impact the life of a child with an incarcerated mother – the hour of her arrest, the hour of their visit, and the hour of their reunification. In this show, RadioRotary welcomes Dr. Alethea Taylor, executive director of Hour Children, and her friend Laura, who is the house manager of one of the five Hour Children communal residences that provide a supportive environment for women starting the reentry process and reuniting with their children. The guests describe how Hour Children assists women incarcerated at Bedford Hills and Taconic Correctional Facilities, both located in Bedford Hills, New York, and the Rose M. Singer Center located in New York City, with facilities for parenting education and even a nursery for mothers who give birth behind bars. Listen for the many other services from Hour Children. Learn More: Hour Children: https://hourchildren.org/ Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women: https://prisoninsight.com/correctional-facilities/state/new-york/bedford-hills-correctional-facility/ Rose M Singer Center at Riker's Island: https://www.cobanyc.org/rose-m-singer-center CATEGORIES Children Education Humanitarian Service Service Organizations Women Words for Search: Prison programs, Children, Women's programs --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/radiorotary/support

Sponsored by the Fetzer Institute, this spiritual care lecture series treats the historical development and current work of African Americans and spiritual care in the US. The series is part of a pilot project to support and build networks for spiritual care providers of color and will focus on the expertise, compassion, and care African American chaplains bring to their work; their experiences as people of color in this work; and opportunities for everyone to unite in action around disparities in access to spiritual care. Session 1 features a discussion on how conversation circles can be used to support, network, and draw together chaplains of color to promote professional wellness and mutual uplift. This session also officially launched the eBook Conversation Circles. We are joined by: Dr. Su Yon Pak, Senior Director and Associate Professor of Integrative and Field-based Education at Union Theological Seminary. In this hybrid faculty-administrator position, she envisions, creates and oversees the curricular and co-curricular work of the Office of Integrative Education including field education, clinical pastoral education, life-long learning, ministerial formation, and combined courses inside Bedford Hills Correctional Facility. Prior to her current position, she was the Vice President for Institutional Advancement; and the Associate Dean for Student Life/ Director of Recruitment at Union. Rev. Kirstin Boswell, University Chaplain and Dean of Multifaith Engagement at Elon University. Prior to her work at Elon, Rev. Boswell was Associate Dean of Student Support Services at Brown University. Her former roles have included serving as Chaplain to the Institute and Director of the Office of Religious Life at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and theProtestant Chaplain at both Brown University and Bentley University and the Director of Operations for The International Association of Black Religions and Spiritualities at the University of Chicago.

In September 2017, Nikki Addimando, a young mom of two, shot her partner of nine years, Chris Grover. Nikki was sentenced to 19 years to life in prison for murder but she claims she was acting in self-defense. In this first episode, journalist Justine van der Leun takes us on a journey that starts with the night of the killing and ends at the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility, a maximum-security prison in upstate New York.    Resources: If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic abuse, use a safe computer and contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at www.thehotline.org or call 1-800-799-7233. You can also search for a local domestic violence shelter at www.domesticshelters.org/. If you have experienced sexual assault and need support, visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) at www.rainn.org or call 1-800-656-HOPE Have questions about consent? Take a look at this guide from RAINN at www.rainn.org/articles/what-is-consent  Learn more about criminalized survival in New York State at www.survivedandpunishedny.org/ Learn more about the Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act at www.nysda.org/page/DVSJA  Read Justine's May 2020 investigative piece on Nikki's case at www.gen.medium.com/nikki-had-proof-shed-been-abused-but-was-it-enough-for-self-defense-bd9f196396eb   Follow the We Stand With Nikki campaign on Instagram at @westandwithnikki, on Twitter at @standwithnikki and on their webpage at www.westandwithnikki.com   Believe Her is created in partnership with Spiegel & Grau. Follow them on Twitter and Instagram at @spiegelandgrau. Follow Justine on Twitter at @justinevdl and on Instagram at @jvanderleun. Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia. If you want to continue the conversation with other listeners, please join our Believe Her podcast community on Bookclubz at www.bit.ly/believeherbookclubz and our Facebook group at www.facebook.com/groups/believeher/.  Interested in bonus content and behind the scenes material? Subscribe to Lemonada Premium right now in the Apple Podcasts app by clicking on our podcast logo and the "subscribe” button. Stay up-to-date on everything in the Lemonada world by becoming a superfan at https://joinsubtext.com/lemonadasuperfan.   Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and all other Lemonada series: lemonadamedia.com/sponsors. To follow along with a transcript, go to www.lemonadamedia.com/show/believeher shortly after the air date. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nora Moran is a director at Puppies Behind Bars, a program that employs prisoners to raise and train puppies who will grow up to become service dogs, therapy dogs, and working dogs. She first learned about the program when she herself got the opportunity to raise a puppy while incarcerated at New York's Bedford Hills Correctional Facility. Since her release in 2008, she has been working to help more prisoners raise dogs and learn about training. She and Annie discuss the kinds of work the prisoners are doing with the dogs, and talk about the transformations that take place as prisoners welcome dogs, and behavioral science, into their lives. In this episode, Annie also reads the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior's recent position paper on humane training. Learn more about Puppies Behind Bars at puppiesbehindbars.com Read the AVSAB position statement at http://schoolforthedogs.com/humanetraining Mentioned in this episode: Treat Everyone Like a Dog: How a Dog Trainer's World View Can Improve Your Life by Karen B. London, PhD http://amazon.com/Treat-Everyone-Like-Dog-Trainers/dp/1952960002 AVSAB's Recommended Reading List: 1. Decoding Your Dog (American College of Veterinary Behaviorists) 2. Decoding Your Cat (American College of Veterinary Behaviorists) 3. From Fearful to Fear Free (Dr. Marty Becker, Dr. Lisa Radosta, Dr. Wailani Sung, Mikkel Becker) 4. Wag: The Science of Making Your Dog Happy (Zazie Todd) 5. Puppy Start Right (Dr. Kenneth Martin and Debbie Martin) 6. The Power of Positive Dog Training (Pat Miller) 7. Don't Shoot the Dog! (Karen Pryor) 8. How to Behave So Your Dog Behaves (Dr. Sophia Yin) 9. The Other End of the Leash (Patricia McConnell) 10. Control Unleashed: Reactive to Relaxed (Leslie McDevitt) 11. Animal Training: Successful Animal Management through Positive Reinforcement (Ken Ramirez)

Aine 0:00 This podcast has been produced in partnership with Diva International (makers of the DivaCup) and Media One Creative. This is Pandora's Box, a podcast that is on a mission to uncover how periods affect the lives of those that experience them around the globe. Join us as we travel the world to find real stories by real women and people who menstruate who are championing change and bringing light to the global impact of menstruation. I'm Aine  Cait 0:27 and I'm Cait, your hosts. Aine 0:32 This episode is going to be a little bit different than the others. You won't be hearing much from Cait or myself. We're going to be passing the mic Topeka K. Sam, Executive Director of Ladies of Hope Ministries (LOHM). We first met Topeka back in 2019 when we were filming the documentary. She became a very central character in the film. We were just blown away by her story and by the work she does with the LOHM.  Aine 0:56 Some of the most shocking stories we heard when making this documentary were from incarcerated or formerly incarcerated women and people who menstruate. It was very harrowing to hear stories of how these marginalized communities and people are further marginalized and punished just because they have a period. Topeka K. Sam  1:18 As a formerly incarcerated woman, I know firsthand the experiences of having menstruation while incarcerated. I remember the first day I received my period. I'm not talking about when I was in prison, but when I was eight years old, I remember being in school and I just started bleeding. And sorry if I'm being a little graphic, but this is what we go through as women. I remember crying and going to the nurse saying that something was going on with me. They called my mom. And my mom was like, "Oh, well, Topeka. This is what it is." And she started to explain to me how she was seven when she got hers.  Topeka K. Sam  1:54 And I remember receiving this huge piece of cloth that reminded me of a little mini boat that you put in your bathtub, it was so big for my little body. And I got my first purse, because my mother had me put these little pads in this purse and told me that I had to carry them with me to school. And every month I was able to carry a purse while I had these. Topeka K. Sam  2:16 I talk about that particular experience and how it correlates to when I was incarcerated and needing pads. Unfortunately, the pads weren't the size of a boat. They were really thin. They were not what we needed. But what we ended up doing a lot of times, because they weren't giving them out to us, was we had to pay for them. Pads were being used as kind of bartering systems a lot of times with the guards, male guards very often. It allowed me to really, really think through what was happening in this country, how our dignity was being stripped, and how menstrual products and the inequities around those who actually receive them was happening in this country. And there were no conversations that were going on around what happens to women who are imprisoned with periods.  Topeka K. Sam  3:02 I was raised with three brothers, a two-parent home. My parents were together for 58 years prior to my father passing last year. They were franchise business owners. We were the only black family in our neighborhood. I would say I grew up very privileged. We had the best of educations. I laugh and say my father wanted us to be a string quartet because I was trained in piano and flute, one of my brothers in violin, another one in cello, another in percussion. I was captain of every team. I was president of every club. That lets you see what my ambition was. And just the need to succeed, partly because I had parents who did. My mother says I just had that kind of spirit in me of fearlessness and the ability to just do and change the world. But when you have such strong presence, the way you show up in the world actually will determine sometimes what happens in your life.  Topeka K. Sam  3:50 And so I decided that I wanted to go to an HBCU, historically black college, because I wanted to be around other kids of color. So I chose Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland. I chose that because a really close friend of the family who I called my aunt Maddie went to Morgan State and told me how great it was. And it wasn't too far from home. And this was my first time away from home. Being there, I was super excited because now I'm in a community with people that were just like me, then also there was fear. The fear was that I was away from home, but I didn't know about anything in life. And so I started to try to find my way. I end up dating guys who were selling drugs, eventually selling drugs myself.  Topeka K. Sam  4:29 One point I had just completely stopped that particular lifestyle. I get a call and I ended up, "Okay, you know what, this is the call that I've been waiting for. I can connect some people together real quick, make some money, open this other business and then that's it. I'm out. One last run."  Or so I thought. So now, I'm in Virginia at a meeting and something just didn't feel right. But what I do know is being arrested and I found myself in a jail, a county jail, in Hanover, Virginia.  Topeka K. Sam  4:57 Before I went in, I was going through uterine issues, and so really heavy cycles. My doctor said I had what was called uterine fibroids. And so I knew going in that I was diagnosed, I was planning to get the surgery that year in 2012. I assumed that because I was still having these heavy cycles while I was incarcerated, I will see if I can get that surgery. And so I applied to do that through the court. I went and got the surgery, or so I thought, and I came back and the cramps were worse, the cycle was heavier. And I said, “Something isn't right.” This did not feel as if anything was actually done. I made a joke earlier, but the seriousness is they were giving us the cheapest sanitary products that they could, and a very, very small amount of them, and as I mentioned with uterine fibroids, often we have very heavy and long cycles. And with that, sometimes I will go through a pack of pads a day. That's how bad it was for me. Aine 5:51 Sadly, so many incarcerated women and people who menstruate have stories about how challenging it was for them to deal with menstruation during their time spent in prison. Topeka introduced us to two formerly incarcerated women named Cass Severe and Naquasia Pollard. Both women now work with Topeka at LOHM, and wanted to share their firsthand experience of menstruating in prison. Cass Severe 6:20  I do recall a horrific experience where one particular day, lots of days, rather, my pad was so, like, saturated with blood that I one point I remember it sliding down my pant leg, you know, and it hit the floor. And it was so embarrassing on top of traumatizing but, you know, that's all I had to work with. That's what I basically got used to at times: just rewrap that same used sanitary napkin over and over again until I was able to obtain something clean. So on top of that, this was affecting my health. Naquasia Pollard  6:58 I remember a time that I was on a visit and I saw it all the way through my clothes. I went to go change and come back to my visit, and the correctional officer said that I was not allowed to do that. Either I sit on the visit and soil my pants or I terminate my visit. I terminated my visit because I didn't want to sit there and soil my clothes. That just doesn't make any sense. It was heartbreaking. Aine7:26 The lack of access to products is not only traumatizing for those who experience it, it brings up some serious health concerns as well. And particularly if somebody is dealing with a health issue that makes their period more difficult or more painful every month to begin with. Topeka K. Sam  7:48 They would give us a pack of pads a month, which sometimes was 12 pads. So you expected to keep a sole pad on for hours in a day, sometimes a day. And then you would have to purchase pads through commissary, and they were costing the same amount of money as you would if you went into the Duane Reade or Walgreens. And so I get to federal prison after being sentenced. And I still had the same issues. And I remember going to the doctor and they told me no, there was nothing wrong. They see that I had the surgery. And I'm like, I know something is wrong with me, we know our bodies. But there they ration the pads out very differently. And so though I was fortunate enough to have the highest paying job, whatever that looks like, $100 a month in prison, I was able to get support from home, I was still only allowed to buy a pack of pads every commissary and so I had to request through medical to get pads prescribed to me because the pads were so very thin and cheap. And I thought it was ridiculous that we actually had to pay for them. Topeka K. Sam  8:46  I remember getting to another prison and I saw a doctor from outside and she touched my stomach and she was like, "Your fibroids are huge." And I just broke down and cried. Because I was like, “Wow. It's the first time there's a doctor who's actually acknowledging the things that I already knew was wrong with me.” This one particular prison, I was told that in order for me to get that documentation and get prescribed pads from the doctor, that I had to quantify my period. And what that meant is I needed to take the used pads and put them in a brown paper bag and show them to the male officer who was often such on duty, I would open the bag so he would see the pads, see that I used the pads so that he can ration out five more pads.  Topeka K. Sam  9:27 The feeling of pain and the feeling of disgust and humiliation that I felt having to go through that still with just the courage to speak up. I knew that there were so many other sisters that didn't have the resources to get what they needed. They didn't have the strength to fight. I knew that I needed to do something about it. And when I came home, started organizing and speaking to other formerly incarcerated women, they were saying the same things. How can something that is part of our makeup, our humanity - why would we have to quantify cycles, have to purchase menstrual products in a system that's already deemed and already built to be inhumane? Aine10:17 I think inhumane is the perfect word to use when describing the experiences that these women had to endure. The shame, trauma, and abuse of basic human rights is just shocking. The stories don't stop there. Menstruation is part of the issue. But the bigger problem is how reproductive health in general is handled in prisons. Topeka K. Sam  10:44 When I think about prison, and I think about these systems, and I think about all the shame and pain that comes to it, it also allows me to think about all the resilience and the fight. Naquasia Pollard  10:55  So I was 19 years old when I got arrested, and I had my daughter while I was incarcerated. After I had her, I was transported to the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility. I say transported because I went against my will. I wanted more than anything to be with my daughter. I was only 21 years old, and I was told that I had fibroids, I didn't know what it was, what it meant to have fibroids, what were the side effects, etc. When I learned from a gynecologist that was a man while I was incarcerated at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility, he suggested that I get a hysterectomy. They did not want to give me the adequate sanitary napkins, hygiene products to accommodate my heavy menstrual. I went back and forth with the health administration for several years, over five, seven years debating on should I remove my womb. And I was only 21 years old, which was a problem for me. So my other alternative was to either suffer through the pain and wait until I was released or get a hysterectomy. I said no to the hysterectomy and I suffered my whole incarceration with my menstrual. I was soiled through my clothes. It was dehumanizing as a woman. And majority of the women that I had to engage with regarding my menstrual were not sensitive to my needs and were not willing to provide me with the adequate service in order for me to not suffer. As women, they allowed me to suffer. And that's what our criminal justice system does to women that may have abnormal body functions and they still don't have any sympathy for a woman that suffering in the institution. [They] just rather you not be able to reproduce no matter what color you are, because you're just seen as what they call an inmate, and they feel that you don't have any morals or standards. So why should you care to have a child? Cass Severe12:58 I come from being from incarcerated and having my menstrual in prison is a very sickening truth. Just to deal with my menstrual health as a female prisoner gaining access to menstrual products was exceedingly difficult. I didn't have reliable access to pads and tampons. My menstruation was, as I described it, to be a harrowing, shame-inducing experience. As I recall, [we would] place orders weekly in advance. And with that, a lot of mistakes would arise along the way, which we know being formerly incarcerated, you have to expect the unexpectable. So that was fairly common, that you didn't get your products as expeditiously as you needed it. On top of that most women, including myself in prison, were poor, and we didn't have access to money. Some of us didn't have access to money outside of prison. So ordering products became a financial hardship at times, even tampons or pads being marked up prices. So they would inflate the cost and make it even more hard to obtain. Sometimes I remember it being as much as $5 to $6 at a time.  Cass Severe14:20 We couldn't afford it. So we would have to kind of barter, you know. And if you were unliked, so if you didn't have people that, you know, had your back, you were basically out of luck. And that was hard in itself. There were times where even the commissary process was very difficult just trying to get your products in on time. There was a host of different events that made this experience very disturbing for me even down to, like, you know, size, and now it's not. All women come in different shapes and forms. And you know, just having the fact that I might be a heavier bleeder than the next young lady, but they don't really care about those things. Individualism doesn't matter. So it's basically one size fits all. But in contrary, that's not the case. So you just have to make do with what you have.  Cass Severe15:09 I remember telling [the guard] one day, like, I don't have any more menstrual pads left, you know, and I literally could feel me bleeding through my clothes. And he said condescendingly, sarcastically, like, "Hah, go ahead, you know, bleed right through your clothes, I don't care." When I did bleed through my clothes, ultimately, you know, just having the guard make fun of me during that time, and it just, I just realized that I wasn't the only one that went through that, you know. I witnessed my peers, it happened to them. And I just realized that this is the real problem. They just treated us women poorly, collectively. It's not just the lack of supplies for us women, it was just the lack of empathy. And I remember thinking like, “Wow, if only these guards could be trained on how to be humane and have some empathy.” And, if they knew how to treat us properly, like individuals, it could go a longer way.  Cass Severe16:09 Well, it would be remiss for me if I didn't mention that, because of that experience with the pads, I never wore pads again. It didn't dawn on me, like, why did you stop wearing menstrual pads? It was because of prison. Because of that experience of being laughed at. I just got sick, sick of pads. So I had to use tampons, because it just kind of retriggers me from that day. And I remember being in solitary confinement. And that was even worse. And I remember spending about 21 days in confinement and you know, in confinement, you're only given maybe a shower, a week, no water and all that. And I smelled so bad, because I had my menstrual cycle during my time in solitary confinement. And I just remember one night, I had to sleep with my arms over my head because I smelled so, my own stench was so repulsive, that I was trying to figure out how can I sleep to even just manage to be able to get through the night? Stuff like that, because it's impossible, it's nearly impossible to keep clean in prison, you know, and that gave me bouts of depression, feelings of self-loathing, and a lot of isolation because of that, and I didn't want to engage with the rest of the population because I literally felt sick. When my menstrual came around, I would literally feel sick, and I would isolate myself until the seven days was over. And that's how I coped. Aine17:37 After Topeka had this experience when incarcerated, she knew she had to do something. So when she was released from prison, she put the wheels in motion to start Ladies of Hope Ministries. Topeka K. Sam 17:52 We began to work with Senator Booker and Senator Warren, at first on the federal level to draft what was called the Dignity for Incarcerated Women bill. And what that did was start a national conversation around making sure that women had personal hygiene products, free of charge to them at no cost, and making sure that women were no longer shackled during child labor, and making sure that women had the opportunity to be within a certain proximity to each other. And in that work, as I started going around the country, women in each state were feeling the same way. And I began to work with the #cut50 national organization, which is now called Dream Court Justice, to elevate and bring awareness to the issues that women were facing called Dignity for Incarcerated Women. Topeka K. Sam  18:39 I was the director of that campaign and I had the great privilege of working with women from all over the country. We've passed over 12 pieces of legislation statewide, making sure that women have personal hygiene products at no cost to them. And making sure that women are no longer shackled during child labor. We were able to get those provisions put into the Dignity Legislation on a federal level. And so it was the lived experience of not only myself, but also those sisters that were also incarcerated, that helped me to think through ways that we could lead change in this country. Anyone can make a mistake that can land them to a situation such as prison. And while you're there, you would not want to be treated worse.  Topeka K. Sam  19:26 When you think about the prison system and those who are in and, you know, the lack of access to bail or unable to pay bail. And the 'why' people are consistently in and out based on cyclical violations of parole, how people are ripped from their children and in the middle of a global pandemic, you know, our sisters are suffering. And even when there's been legislation that has been passed, we saw it in Florida, where there was legislation to Dignity Bills passed and still they shackled a woman during child labor. And where recently they just awarded a woman $200,000 as compensation for being shackled, as if that was enough.  Topeka K. Sam  20:07  But trust that, you know, that we all have these dark stories, and these dramatic stories and the things that they bring up, but it's these stories that are going to help people to understand what is happening in this country right now.  Topeka K. Sam  20:25 And so the mission of the Ladies of Hope Ministries is to end poverty and incarceration of women and girls. And we look at doing that through two buckets of work: direct services and sustainability, and policy and advocacy. And what we know is that a person cannot speak up for themselves, they cannot think about changing policy, they cannot even think about saying no to an abuser, if their basic human rights are not met for us, which are: safe housing, healthy food, and employment or career development.  Topeka K. Sam  21:01 And so we created Hope House, the safe housing space for women and girls. Our Angel Food Project taps on addressing food insecurity when we partner with Instacart. And through them Wegmans, Fairway Markets, Costco, Whole Foods and other supermarkets, where we pass out fresh bags of donations of food every single day. We also have our Pathways 4 Equity, which is a partnership with Virgin Unite, where we're looking to make sure that women have an opportunity to transform their lives through access to sustainable employment.  Topeka K. Sam  21:33 And then our policy and advocacy work, as I stated, working with Dream Corps to make sure that we pass legislation around the conditions of confinement. But we also worked on parole and probation reform around parole, probation accountability project, making sure that people know what their rights are while they're under supervision. So that not only they are held accountable, but also the systems that actually surveil them are also held accountable, helping people get early termination of sentences, get off probation and parole early, and help them to begin to move forward with their lives.  Topeka K. Sam  22:05 You know, what I do know, right now, doing this work and talking about menstrual health equity, is that reproductive health and health equity in our communities is something that's not there. And so we have exciting programs that are also partnering up with different companies and organizations around legislation that we've already passed, and how are we making sure that we're getting opportunities like training women on how to be birth doulas and death doulas while they're incarcerated for the sisters that are actually there.  Topeka K. Sam  22:40 And also, every time we do a new program or project, we're looking at ways to create equity and equitable opportunities. And so how do we set up a woman so she can create her own business, and be able to use that? That's why we have our Faces of Women in Prison Project. We've trained women in how they use their voice to tell their stories, but also get paid as public speakers. Because it is incredibly important that people understand that their stories are valuable. It's incredibly important that people understand that as they share these experiences, that they are the experts in the space. And as experts, they should be compensated as such. And so it's been an incredible journey in order to do this work from my release from prison in 2015. And it's these factors from my direct lived experience that has allowed me to continue to move forward. Aine 23:32 I want to sincerely thank Topeka, Naquasia, and Cass for sharing their stories. I can't imagine how tough it is to relive those experiences. And I so admire that they're doing so to bring light to this issue, so that others won't have to go through what they've been through. Thank you for tuning into this special episode of Pandora's Box.

You can find links to each of Sean's analysis pieces here. This article covers the week beginning April 19.

Tamara Santibañez is a multidisciplinary artist, working in tattoos, visual arts, and publishing. She also works with people in jail/prison and recently out, having taught drawing at Rikers Island and Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women, working with a reentry program in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and giving free tattoo cover ups to women who were tattooed during their criminal justice involvement. Tamara's tattoo work draws on West Coast Chicanx black and gray technique, while also incorporating the punk aesthetics of her life, resulting in a historic but deeply personal style. You can find more about her work here, and view her tattoos here. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/protest-and-survive/support

Josh interview Donna Hylton, the author of the book "A Little Piece of Light" Donna's book "A Little Piece of Light" is available for purchase now. Donna helped create the ACE program at the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility. The ACE program helps incarcerated people in coping with HIV/AIDS. Donna was also instrumental in the creation of the Domestic Violence Program at Bedford Hills. Donna participated in the Bedford Writing Group created by Tony Award Winning Playwright Eve Ensler. The group was featured in the Documentary, "What I Want My Words To Do To You."

While students walk out of classes all over the country (and occasionally fight cops) we make the pitch for an anarchist youth liberation movement. In wild, wonderful, and apparently rebellious West Virginia, striking school employees have shut down every public school in the state, while treesitters are putting up resistance to the Mountain Valley Pipeline. We also share calls to support political prisoner Joy Powell, as well as a fundraising drive for a radical café in Istanbul. Listen until the end for announcements of three different speaking tours in March: one about anarchist responses to natural disasters, one about the anarchist critique of democracy, and one all about the J20 case and why the remaining 59 defendants deserve your utmost support. {February 28, 2018}   -------SHOW NOTES------   Table of Contents: Introduction {0:00} Headlines {1:30} Youth liberation now! {9:20} Repression Roundup {21:35} Next Week's News {23:00} Download 29:30 long version Check out the Hamilton, Ontario anarchist bookfair this weekend! Join antifascists in Lansing, Michigan at noon on March 5 as they gather to oppose white nationalist Richard Spencer's visit to Michigan State University. J20 support resources: West Coast J20 solidarity speaking tour J20 Legal Defense Fund Twitter Fed book An Open Letter to Former J20 Defendants, with useful “do”s and “don't”s Teen Vogue: The J20 Arrests and Trials, Explained Other anarchist shows mentioned in this Hotwire: End of the Line #12: Irreparable This is Parkdale, documentary about tenant organizing and rent strike in Toronto In Hotwire #19 we explain why radical social movements are better equipped to solve the problem of mass shootings than the state is Trouble #9: Learning to Resist Trouble #10: School's Out IGDcast: Audio Report from the Picket Lines of the West Virginia Teachers' Strike IGDcast: Mutual Aid Disaster Relief on Building Dual Power & Upcoming Tour Also, check out the decades of prison radio done by ex-death row political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal. Youth Liberation Texts, possibly to be used by anti-authoritarian youth looking to connect with others at March For Our Lives events on March 24: No! Against Adult Supremacy The Child and its Enemies Youth Liberation Anarchism and Youth Liberation The Teenage Liberation Handbook Fundraising: Donate to the anti-Mountain Valley Pipeline treesitters in West Virginia. Support Kris Thompson, the widow of Kiwi Herring, a black trans woman who was murdered by St. Louis police, who is now facing charges Donate to the new International Anarchist Defence Fund, even though they spell “defense” all weird Please support Komşu Kafe, a radical spot in Istanbul that exists for everyone, “overwhelmed and disillusioned by exploitation, hierarchy, inequality and hate.” J20 solidarity speaking tour: March 3: Seattle, WA – Pipsqueak Gallery (173 16th Ave), 7:00 PM March 4: Olympia, WA – New Moon (113 4th Ave W), 7:00 PM March 5: Portland, OR – Cider Riot (807 NE Couch), 6:30 PM March 6: Eugene, OR – Wesley Center (2520 Harris St), 6:30 PM From Democracy to Freedom Speaking Tour by CrimethInc.. March 7: Pittsburgh, PA – 7 pm at the Mr. Roboto Project, 5106 Penn Avenue If you'd like to arrange a presentation in your town or at your university, just contact rollingthunder@crimethinc.com. Mutual Aid Disaster Relief tour March 3 @ 5:00 pm CST First Congregational Church (Fight For 15 office) 1000 S. Cooper St. Memphis, TN 38104: Protectors v. Profiteers: Communities in Resistance to Disaster Capitalism March 4 @ 12:00 pm CST First Congregational Church (Fight For 15 office) 1000 S. Cooper St. Memphis, TN 38104: Giving Our Best, Ready For The Worst: Community Organizing as Disaster Preparedness March 6 @ 6:00 pm EST The Birdhouse 800 N 4th Ave Knoxville, TN 37917: Protectors v. Profiteers: Communities in Resistance to Disaster Capitalism March 7 @ 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm EST The Birdhouse 800 N 4th Ave Knoxville, TN 37917: Giving Our Best, Ready For The Worst: Community Organizing as Disaster Preparedness Write to political prisoner imprisoned Reverend Joy Powell: Reverend Joy Powell #07G0632 Bedford Hills CF Post Office Box 1000 Bedford Hills, New York 10507–2499 Use this straightforward guide to writing prisoners from New York City Anarchist Black Cross. Also call in to Superintendent Joseph at 914–241–3100 and Don Venetozzi at 518–457–2337 and say, “Hello, I am calling to ask that DSS Michael Daye, Lt. McBride and Sgt. McDaniels NOT be allowed to harass inmates and violate the legal and medical safeguards of Joy Powell #07G0632 and that Joy Powell be released IMMEDIATELY from SHU, as she is a senior citizen with health issues, and has been placed in there in retaliation for speaking to the media about the abhorrent conditions at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility! I also request that she be allowed to have snacks on her at all times, that she be allowed to monitor her blood sugar three times daily and that she be free of harassment when going to and from the law library.”  

This episode is packed to the gills with news! There is antifa activity in Tennessee and folks in the Northwest continue to hold it down against the fascist creep. Solidarity for Afrin spreads and an inspiring model to fight ICE raids emerges out of Koreatown, Los Angeles. We offer some analysis about the school shooting in Parkland, FL and interview both an anarchist attending the student led rallies there and an anarchist author who's written about gun control. There is a short update on the repression Florida prisoners are enduring due to Operation Push. Walter Bond is in need of support and we have some good news about accused confederate statue topplers in Durham, NC. To wrap things up, there are loads of upcoming events, so stay tuned until the end! {February 21, 2018}   -------SHOW NOTES------   Table of Contents: Introduction {0:00} Headlines {1:25} Parkland school shooting & interviews {11:30} Repression Roundup {25:40} Prisoner Birthdays & Next Week's News {29:55} Antifascists in Washington, D.C. are calling for protests this Saturday, February 24 against a fancy alt-right dinner. This weekend, February 23 to the 26, the Earth First! Winter Rendezvous will take place near Kiln, Mississippi. There will be workshops, trainings, and movement building. J20 support resources: J20 Legal Defense Fund Twitter Fed book An Open Letter to Former J20 Defendants, with useful “do”s and “don't”s Teen Vogue: The J20 Arrests and Trials, Explained Other anarchist shows mentioned in this Hotwire: The Ex-Worker #62: Support, Healing, and Redefining Resistance—2017 in Review, Part II The Hotwire #7 The Hotwire #12 An audio account on It's Going Down about the ongoing #OperationPush prison strike in Florida CrimethInc. texts mentioned in this Hotwire: What We Need from You How You Can Help with CrimethInc. Projects Escaping Washington for Freedom (Also, check out this informative Twitter thread about why every single American president was a scumbag.) Immigrants Welcome stickers Borders: The Global Caste System posters No Wall They Can Build CrimethInc. is taking their new book From Democracy to Freedom on tour in the Midwest in March! Here at the dates: March 7: Pittsburgh, PA March 8: Morgantown, WV March 9: Cleveland, OH March 10: Bowling Green, OH March 11: Chicago, IL March 12: Bloomington, IN March 13: Carbondale, IL March TBD: St. Louis, MO If you'd like to arrange a presentation in your town or at your university, just contact rollingthunder@crimethinc.com. Legal fundraiser for Scott Warren, a humanitarian aid worker on the border who is now facing charges of human trafficking in retaliation for his solidarity work. Daniel McGowan's article on the restrictive Communications Management Units, also called “little Guantanamos.” Call in to support Joy Powell, a prisoner being retaliated against for exposing conditions at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility. Call the superintendent at 914–241–3100. You can find a sample call-in script here. Write to recently transferred Animal Liberation Front political prisoner Walter Bond: Walter Bond 37096–013 FCI Terre Haute CMU PO Box 33 Terre Haute IN 47808 Political prisoner birthdays: Kamau Sadiki (Freddie Hilton) #0001150688 Augusta State Medical Prison, Building 13A–2 E7 3001 Gordon Highway Grovetown, Georgia 30813 Address envelope to Freddie Hilton, address card to Kamau {February 19} Oso Blanco (Byron Chubbuck) 07909–051 USP Victorville Post Office Box 3900 Adelanto, California 92301 Address envelope to Byron Chubbuck, address card to Oso Blanco {February 26} For a good introduction to writing prisoners, check out this guide from New York City Anarchist Black Cross. CORRECTIONS & CLARIFICATIONS Last week we reported that Michael Foster, the valve turner who temporarily halted the flow of tar sands oil in TransCanada's Keystone pipeline in October 2016, was sentenced to three years, but in fact he is only serving one. Thanks to the listener who caught that, and we'll still post Michael's address once we have it so you can write him letters.    

Ronnie Eldridge, host of "Eldridge & Co." went to Bedford Hills Correctional Facility to interview Judith Clark, an inmate serving 75 years-to-life. Judith Clark will be eligible for parole in 2056. She will be 107 years old. Unedited interview follows

Robin, who served time with Pam at the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility, describes how Pam helped her in her pursuits of finishing school from inside prison.

It's becoming popular in the media to talk about the missing millions-- the 1.5 million African American men in their prime who are missing from civic life. Those millions, it's explained, are mostly missing because they've died young or been locked up. There's been a catastrophic rise of incarceration in the US over the past four decades. But missing from the missing men stories are the women whose rates of incarceration have risen fastest of all. In 2013, approximately 111,300 women were in US prisons, a 900 percent increase over 1977. They're absent from our streets and also from this coverage. As every study shows, the majority of incarcerated women are non-violent offenders with little education or employment experience, and lots of history of abuse. Girls of color are more likely to be locked up than white girls. Gender non-conforming girls are most likely of all, and two thirds of incarcerated women have kids. They're not missing. They're missed. Incarceration tears families and communities apart. To let some women know they hadn't been forgotten, three young activists recently organized a performance in a women's prison, Taconic, about an hour outside of New York City. As prison policies tend to be made with men, not women in mind, they brought a play by, with, and about women: Eve Ensler's Vagina Monologues, and to perform, they brought professional actresses, activists, and three women who'd served over half a century between them, in the maximum-security prison across the street. Coming back, and watching their audience stream in to the prison lunchroom, the cast fell quiet, as women saw women they'd left behind inside, and guards saw women they'd not seen since they'd got out. Visitors and prisoners are not allowed to hug, or get close or touch. Separation is sternly enforced. Still, after ninety minutes of laughing, crying, whooping and tearing-up together thanks to the tragi-comic Monologues, all the women were feeling a lot. Before they left, they semi-circled into a group air hug – old arms, young arms, arms in silk, arms in made-for-men green cotton prison tops – reaching out, towards one other. The missing aren't missing. We keep them at a distance. What if we broke it? Those inside aren't missing; they're waiting, on us, for justice. They're not missing. We are. Join me, May 8th, for Risky Talking: a conversation about risk, confinement and escape, with Piper Kerman, whose memoir Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison was adapted into the hit series on Netflix, and Donna Hylton, who served 25 years in the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility and currently works as a Community Health Advocate for formerly incarcerated people. Moderate by me with MacArthur Award-winning choreographer Elizabeth Streb. Complete with wild action moments from the STREB company. Find out more at GRITtv.org.

Author A’Lelia Bundles’s award-winning biography, On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C. J. Walker, about her great-great-grandmother, was named a 2001 New York Times Notable Book and the Association of Black Women Historians 2001 best book on black women’s history. She currently is at work on Joy Goddess, the first major biography of her great- grandmother, A’Lelia Walker, a central figure of the Harlem Renaissance. During her thirty year career as an Emmy-award winning producer and executive with ABC News and NBC News, Bundles covered hundreds of national and international stories for ABC’s “World News Tonight with Peter Jennings” and NBC’s “Today” and “Nightly News.”  Bundles is a trustee of Columbia University and serves on the boards of the Foundation for the National Archives and the Madam Walker Theatre Center, a National Historic Landmark in Indianapolis. In 2003, she created the 100 Books, 100 Women campaign to expand the library at the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women in New York. As well, she spearheaded the national campaign that led to the 1998 U. S. Postal Service’s Black Heritage stamp of Madam Walker. Ms. Bundles, who lives in Washington, DC, graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College and Radcliffe College and received a masters degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. She is a member of the Alpha Iota Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa at Harvard College.

Ronnie sits down with Sara Bennett, attorney for Judith Clark, an inmate at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility who is currently seeking clemency.

Author A’Lelia Bundles’s award-winning biography, On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C. J. Walker, about her great-great-grandmother, was named a 2001 New York Times Notable Book and the Association of Black Women Historians 2001 best book on black women’s history. She currently is at work on Joy Goddess, the first major biography of her great- grandmother, A’Lelia Walker, a central figure of the Harlem Renaissance. During her thirty year career as an Emmy-award winning producer and executive with ABC News and NBC News, Bundles covered hundreds of national and international stories for ABC’s “World News Tonight with Peter Jennings” and NBC’s “Today” and “Nightly News.” A popular public speaker, Bundles has appeared at Harvard University, the National Archives, London’s City Hall, the Israeli Presidential Conference and the Library of Congress and on NPR, ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, BBC and PBS. Her articles have been published in the New York Times Book Review, Essence, Parade, Fortune Small Business and O, the Oprah magazine. Bundles is a trustee of Columbia University and serves on the boards of the Foundation for the National Archives and the Madam Walker Theatre Center, a National Historic Landmark in Indianapolis. In 2003, she created the 100 Books, 100 Women campaign to expand the library at the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women in New York. As well, she spearheaded the national campaign that led to the 1998 U. S. Postal Service’s Black Heritage stamp of Madam Walker. Ms. Bundles, who lives in Washington, DC, graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College and Radcliffe College and received a masters degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. She is a member of the Alpha Iota Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa at Harvard College.

Ronnie talks with Elaine Lord, former superintendent at the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women. Ms. Lord discusses her experiences rehabilitating women during her 20-year career at the Westchester facility.