May is for Mothering Countdown

As we mention above, we chose providing pillows because it was the first thing our sister asked for when we visited her at jail. 

Most women who are incarcerated don't have pillows. Celeste shared with us, that while she was in jail, in her pod of about 60 women, only five or six actually had pillows. 

Great question! Our introduction to the jail system was limited at best, but we knew we wanted to do something. Our experience began with one woman--our sister--so that’s where we started, and where we've focused our efforts. We’ve dabbled in community service and outreach in plenty of other spaces, but gifts to inmates was way outside our typical bailiwick. So we had to start somewhere. 

And although the majority of inmates across the prison and jail system are men, women are the fastest growing segment of the population for incarcerations. The ACLU notes that nationally, there are more than eight times as many women incarcerated in state and federal prisons and local jails as there were in 1980, increasing from 12,300 in 1980 to more than 182,000 by 2002.       

Plus, because the majority of inmates are male, a vast number of programs are geared towards males. For example, the Salt Lake County Jail has an incredible garden the men can work in – but that service opportunity is not available to female inmates at this time. 

So we're bringing something unique to the women, sharing our sister's story, and our family's story as the starting point for awareness and advocacy.

The Prison Policy Initiative recently noted that 60% of women sitting in jail have NOT been convicted of a crime. 

Moreover, we believe that every person is entitled to the basic fundamental right of sleep – yes, even those who have committed crimes. Through our experience, especially as we gained more insight into who these women are, it became more apparent that the majority of the females incarcerated were victims of circumstance.       

In Utah 57% women in state prisons reported that they were physically and/or sexually assaulted at some point in their lives. The overwhelming majority of women in prison are survivors of domestic violence.

In a 2004 Utah Department of Corrections Report[1] surveying female prison inmates:       

• More than 60% of respondents had admitted to being hit, attacked or beaten when they were under the age of 18.    
• 28% of the victims were beaten on two or more separate occasions, with nearly 70% having been abused on 10 or more occasions. 
• A staggering, 73% of the incidences went unreported to authorities. 60% of respondents reported that at least one of their parents had abused drugs or alcohol. 
• Nearly 40% had a parent who had been to jail or prison.   
• Victims were attacked by an actual family member 44% of the time, by a person known to them 44% of the time, and by a stranger in only about 12% of the cases.

What this tells us is that the majority of these women started out with not only less opportunities and less support to succeed, but were dealt the awful hand of abuse and victimization before they were even adults.       

Because of the very specific restrictions on what comes in and out of the jail, collections received are turned over to Salt Lake County, in some cases need to be approved for receipt via the Salt Lake County Council, and earmarked for the jail. The Salt Lake Metro Jail places a mass order for pillows, and then pillows are distributed directly to the inmates for Christmas. 

Since December of 2017, our program has provided more than 2700 pillows to the women at Salt Lake County Metro.  

We get it!  “Giving Fatigue” can be a real thing -- especially as we enter the holiday season. There are so many places and causes that need support right now. 

But we are not asking you to donate to Pillows for Prisoners instead of the current charities you are supporting; we are asking you to donate in addition to the current charities you are supporting.    For the cost of less than three venti caramel macchiatos in a year, you could purchase a pillow for a woman who may find herself in jail for the first time in her life—scared, alone and unsure of the future.   

Seriously, just $11 can help an inmate have a better night’s rest. (As mentioned previously, the jail purchases the pillows directly through their commissary provider, so commissary is able to purchase pillows at a discounted rate.  

As a supporter of Pillows for Prisoners, you also can serve as an advocate for the plight of women who have been incarcerated. The gift of the pillow, the investment in this marginalized population, gives you insight into their situation that the average person just doesn't know. 

Because in addition to the sobering statistics we mentioned above, the UCD’s Report also shed light on the horrible reality of rape and sexual assault associated with female inmates:    

• When questioned specifically about the crime of rape (defined as forced or attempted forced sexual intercourse) 44% of the survey respondents reported victimization prior to the age of 18, and of those victims of rape, more than 80% did not report the incident/s to police.    
• 43% of the victims reported two or more attacks, while nearly 30% reported 10 or more attacks. The victims declined to report primarily because they were afraid of the offender or the offender was a friend or family member. In 15% of the cases, the victims did not feel that the police could do anything to help.    
• 42% of the survey respondents reported experiencing a rape or attempted rape since the age of 18. This occurred on two or more separate occasions for 46% of the victims, and on ten or more occasions for more than 26% of the victims. The victim knew their attacker, 71% of the time.    

Clearly, these are women who have already suffered immeasurably before they even make their way into the system.