Shedding light on the crisis of women behind bars
Press Articles
Korfhage, Matthew. "Q&A: Silja Talvi." Willamette Week, November 7, 2007, News Section.
Pemberton, Lisa. "Learn challenges women in prison face." The Olympian, May 23, 2008, South Sound Living section.
Book Reviews
James, Joy. 2007. "No Humans Involved?" Review of Women Behind Bars, by Silja J.A. Talvi. Ms. Magazine, Ocotber 1, 2007.
Maestretti, Danielle. Review of Women Behind Bars, by Silja J.A. Talvi. Utne Magazine, March-April 2008.
Marshall, John. 2007. "'Women Behind Bars' is a shocking new book." Review of Women Behind Bars, by Silja J.A. Talvi. Seattle Post-Intelligencer, December 11, 2007.
Northwest Bookshelf. Review of Women Behind Bars, by Silja J.A. Talvi. Seattle Post-Intelligencer, November 9, 2007.
Economou, Elizabeth M. 2007. "Gridlock: A Scathing Portrait of the U.S. Prison Culture." Review of Women Behind Bars, by Silja J.A. Talvi. Seattle Magazine, November 1, 2007.
Immarigeon, Russ. 2008. "Prison Focus." Review of Women Behind Bars, by Silja J.A. Talvi. AFFILIA: Journal of Women and Social Work.
Munger, Mark. 2008. "Book Calls Attention to the Deficiencies in Our System of Dealing with Female Non-violent Offenders." Review of Women Behind Bars, by Silja J.A. Talvi. New World Finn, February-March 2008.
Interviews
Amy Goodman - Democracy Now!
Amy Goodman interviews Silja J.A. Talvi in this May 20, 2008, segment of Democracy Now! about the unsolved homicide of prisoner Estelle Richardson. In 2004, Richardson's lifeless and battered body was found on the floor of a Corrections Corporation of America prison cell. Follow this link to access video and audio streams of the interview, a transcript, and links to Talvi's two-part investigative series for AlterNet about the link between Richardson and a nominee for a federal judgeship.
Mike McCormick - KEXP
KEXP's Mike McCormick's interview with Silja J.A. Talvi about the national trend toward locking up girls and women for non-violent drug- and prostitution-related offenses. Check out this clip for plenty of Talvi's anecdotes, analysis, and passion for the subject.
Paul Wright - Elliott Bay Book Company
From a 4/2/08 appearance at Elliott Bay Book Co. in Seattle, Prison Legal News editor Paul Wright and Silja J.A. Talvi discuss prison privatization & Wright's new anthology, Prison Profiteers: Who Profits from Mass Incarceration. Talvi's appearance includes a reading from Women Behind Bars relating to the shipment of Hawai'ian female prisoners to a remote mining town in Kentucky. Video: Ed Mays Productions.
To contact the Women Behind Bars Project, please send an email to womenbehindbars@gmail.com
Even the smallest donation makes a difference. The Women Behind Bars Project wants to respond promptly to requests for information, resources, books to prisoners, and speaking engagements. We're already doing a lot with very little, but we need your help.
Yraida Guanipa
"I spend my prison time advocating for programs to maintain the mother-child bond ... to reverse my conviction and better my education. Upon my release I continue my journey of advocacy for better judicial systems, I am re-establishing the bonds between me and my sons, and writing about my experiences as an incarcerated mother."
As a first-time, non-violent offender who refused to plead guilty to a drug conspiracy charge, Yraida Guanipa spent 11 years in federal prison and always maintained her innocence. When she was arrested, Guanipa was married and had just given birth to two sons: they were 25- and 15-months old. Guanipa went on hunger strike while in prison in protest over placement in remote prison too far for her sons to visit. She became a self-educated paralegal, and was released to a halfway house in 2006. Guanipa is still under supervision in Miami, and recently appeared with Talvi in New York City to speak about her experiences.
Photo: November Coalition
