Entry Lessons

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Urgent and empathetic, this work is one of the first to examine the lasting impact of incarceration on women and their families. Recent reports indicate that women are the fastest-growing population within the U.S. criminal justice system. Despite discussions on incarceration and prison abolition, their stories of abuse, neglect, poverty, and family separation often remain untold. Through immersive storytelling and expert analysis, anthropologist Jorja Leap explores the journeys of women after prison. Readers will encounter women like Ivy and Janet, accused of murder, whose intertwined stories reveal childhood harm, domestic abuse, and gang violence. Denise grapples with the lasting effects of childhood sexual trauma while facing homelessness. Rosa, a survivor of sex trafficking, navigates a complicated relationship with her mother, her trafficker. Carmen's search for love endangers both her life and her children’s. Clara, who endured the child welfare system, faces the heartache of having her own children placed in foster care. Angela and Ronnie confront the complexities of sexuality and queerness in and out of prison. Leap delves into the deep struggles and oppression these women face, exposing the cycle of trauma that drives reentry and reincarceration. Yet, this narrative is one of hope as well as pain, calling for systemic change through meaningful reentry programs and policies that can profoundly impact women's lives a