With growing public attention to the problem of mass incarceration, people want to know about women's experience with incarceration. Women's incarceration is growing twice as fast as men.  We really need to question why is this rate continuously rising for women?

Why are 79% of women who are incarcerated victims of domestic violence and 60% are sexual abuse survivors? Why are 90% of women in prison today, convicted of murder who have defended themselves from a partner who has battered them?

These are some of the questions we should be asking. These numbers are women who are mothers, grandmothers, daughters, caregivers, the rock to the family. We as a society, culture, and nation need to stop judging women when we are not even asking the right questions to understand their “why."

Felicia Dennis, who is a Prison Reform/Criminal Justice advocate and I discuss this issue and how her non- profit The New Phase Inc.  provides reentry resources for women.

Felicia Dennis is also a Children’s book Author, was  born in Brooklyn, raised in west Philadelphia is the founder of The New Phase Inc, an restorative Justice organization based in Philadelphia. The organization assists returning citizens coming out of incarceration and back into the community. Felicia obtained her bachelors of science degree in criminal Justice at Chestnut Hill College and counties to work in the field. Her passion and commitment will always be ....with the community at heart." To learn more about her non-profit follow her on Instagram @thenewphaseinc

To learn more about Women's Mass Incarceration check out www. prisonpolicy.org

Support the show