Issues to Consider When Facilitating Groups with Battered Women in Jail Or Prison
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Issues to Consider When Facilitating Groups with Battered Women in Jail or Prison By Andrea Bible Special Projects Coordinator National Clearinghouse for the Defense of Battered Women March 2011 National Clearinghouse for the Defense of Battered Women 125 S. 9 th Street, Suite 302 Philadelphia, PA 19107 Tel: 215/351-0010 or 800/903-0111, ext. 3 ncdbw.org Foreword This resource is for advocates 1 in community-based anti-domestic violence organizations who are thinking of starting a group for battered women incarcerated in jail, state prison, or federal prison, and for advocates currently facilitating groups in these setting. The issues and topics explored have emerged from a review of writings by group facilitators, sample curricula, and academic research; conversations with group facilitators; and work with incarcerated women over the years. While many of the issues highlighted in this resource focus on working with women in state prisons, we believe much of this information also is relevant to and important for advocates facilitating groups in jails (and possibly even for those working with incarcerated women in ways other than facilitating groups). It’s important to note that the legal and logistical issues of facilitating groups often differ considerably between jails and prisons – particularly regarding issues of confidentiality for defendants awaiting trial, as well as the fact that people tend to be in jail for a much shorter duration of time than in prison. We have done our best to note the places where the differences between jails versus prisons are significant. We at the National Clearinghouse are very excited that you are exploring (or already doing) the important work of supporting incarcerated battered women. We believe that working with incarcerated battered women is essential to our movement’s efforts to end intimate partner battering and to create safer, healthier, more equitable relationships and communities. It is not possible to cover all of the issues that may be relevant to doing group work with women in jail or prison in one document. This resource is intended as a general overview only, particularly to assist advocates who are just getting started. We are eager to learn more from advocates and incarcerated women who are doing this important work. If you have additional strategies to share, issues to flag, contentions to raise, or any other feedback about this document, please contact the National Clearinghouse. We would like to express tremendous gratitude to the numerous group facilitators we have spoken with over the years, whose experiences, successes, and challenges have informed this document; to Sue Osthoff, Brenda Ratcliff and Tracy Wylie for providing specific suggestions for strengthening this document; and to the many incarcerated women whose wisdom and commitment to healing and transformation helped shape this resource. It is an honor to work with and learn from all of you, and to share a deep commitment to justice and healing for incarcerated survivors of battering. 1 For the purposes of this resource, an advocate refers to employees and volunteers of private, non-profit organizations serving victims of domestic violence who “work to provide for the needs of battered women and battered women as a class” (Avalon, 1997). For a brief overview of community-based advocacy practices and principles, see Davies, Lyon & Monti-Catania (1998) and Pence (2001). National Clearinghouse for the Defense of Battered W o m e n Page 1 Table of Contents Foreword ............................................................................................................... 1 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 5 Incarcerated Women in the U.S.: A Brief Overview ............................................... 5 Becoming familiar with experiences of incarcerated women ............................................. 5 A note about language ....................................................................................................... 7 Purpose and structure of the group ....................................................................... 9 Goals and objectives of the group ...................................................................................... 9 Structural considerations of the group format ................................................................... 9 Criteria for participation for groups .................................................................................. 10 Time of day ........................................................................................................................ 11 Frequency and duration .................................................................................................... 11 Open groups, closed groups, and mixed groups ............................................................... 12 Roles of facilitators in jail .................................................................................................. 13 Roles of facilitators in prison ............................................................................................. 14 Identifying “outside” group facilitators ............................................................................ 14 Identifying “inside” facilitators: Co-facilitating with women in prison ............................. 16 General information about group facilitation .................................................................. 17 Evaluation ......................................................................................................................... 17 Group guidelines .................................................................................................. 18 Confidentiality ................................................................................................................... 18 Issues of power, privilege & oppression within groups ..................................................... 20 National Clearinghouse for the Defense of Battered W o m e n Page 2 Certificates and letters of support ....................................................................... 22 Giving certificates and or writing support letters ............................................................. 22 Jail or prison administration, staff, and rules ....................................................... 24 Relationships with administration and staff ..................................................................... 24 Jail or prison staff and confidentiality ............................................................................... 25 Jail or prison rules ............................................................................................................. 26 A special note about institutional practices in response to suicide .................................. 27 Group topics ........................................................................................................ 29 Healing tools and strategies ............................................................................................. 29 Domestic violence within the prison ................................................................................. 32 Grief and guilt ................................................................................................................... 38 Supporting survivors who are about to be released ......................................................... 41 Unique safety issues facing formerly incarcerated battered women ............................... 43 Other possible forms of advocacy or support ...................................................... 45 Training women in prison to serve as their own group facilitators or as peer educators 45 Newsletters ....................................................................................................................... 46 Support or help organize once-a-year domestic violence awareness (or other) events ... 46 Meet with established groups or classes on a quarterly basis ......................................... 46 Individual/collective advocacy (i.e., pre-trial advocacy, parole support, clemency) ........ 46 Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 47 Additional resources ............................................................................................ 48 References cited ................................................................................................................ 48 Resources specific to incarcerated women’s histories of abuse ....................................... 51 National Clearinghouse for the Defense of Battered W o m e n Page 3 General information about incarcerated women & mass incarceration .......................... 51 Information about women’s experiences of returning to the community after prison .... 52 Information about prison-based arts groups & collections of writings by incarcerated women .............................................................................................................................. 53 Curricula and workbooks addressing abuse & other forms of trauma ............................. 53 Resources for preventing and responding to incidents of abuse ...................................... 54 Documentaries about incarcerated battered women ...................................................... 55 National Clearinghouse for