Here’s a look at reentry issues through the eyes of formerly incarcerated women

As of June 19, 571 women were being held in the Philadelphia prison system — roughly 8.5 percent of the city’s incarcerated population at the time.

It’s a small percentage, but those women’s struggles in returning to society will be as real as those of the 6,105 men behind bars. How can Philly best support them and help ensure they’ll keep from returning to prison?

On June 10, the People’s Paper Co-op hosted its Women in Reentry Day at the Village of Arts and Humanities to attempt to answer that question. The day included a symposium for service providers, a resource fair for returning citizens and an art exhibit made up of work by women who have been involved with the criminal justice system in some way.

PhillyCAM stopped by and interviewed a few formerly incarcerated women about their thoughts on mass incarceration. Said one:

“What we find out is that women that come out of prison, there’s a deep disconnect with their body and their sense of self and being a person in community. How do you walk into your life, into your day, feeling whole, like you’re a woman? That you have these needs and these desires that you want to fulfill when you’ve been locked up for so long?”

It’s an important glimpse into the lives of people not often seen in media representations of reentry. See the full video below or on YouTube.