In order to shed some light on a very dim subject, the lives of incarcerated women, I wanted to create something to show the viewers the blurred line of individuals' situations living within the system. I refer to it as a blurred line because for many individuals it is hard to see where the crime starts and where it ends. It includes pieces of black out poetry I created to try and get certain messages through to the viewers on a deeper level. This visual portraits issues of drug abuse, the struggles of being a parent or being a kid whose parent is in the system, as well as things like religious aspects and environmental struggles and more issues women in the system face.
This piece is a visual representation of what women in the system may experience within the system, after their release and life before prison. The words of encouragement and inspiration are meant to symbolize the many potentials each one of these women could have if the system was altered. I believe that by incorporating restorative justice approaches into our criminal justice system when dealing with low level crimes and drug offenses, the U.S. can decrease the amount of people in prison and jail. It allows people who have made mistakes in their past to correct those wrongdoings and to get a chance to improve their lives. Everyone makes mistakes and restorative justice gives the individual an opportunity to take accountability for those mistakes and restore the injustice they inflicted. I believe it is also very important to begin mandating rehabilitative approaches especially ones for high risk or higher needs inmates. By including these things and offering more support towards people in prison and people with a record as well as slowly changing the views society has on these individuals, it will not only reduce crime and help boost our economy but it will also improve these women's lives and help them to become productive members of society.