On May 7th the GWSS Think tank hosted the first ever all prison conference at ICIW. We divided our conference into four strands: Motherhood, Healthcare and Trauma, Healthy Relationships, and Substance abuse. We invited Professors Ellen Lewin, Ana Merino, and Leslie Schwalm as well as Dr. Nicole Nisly from UIHC healthcare, and Jefri Palermo from the School of Social Work. We also included the entire inside and outside cast from the Eva Luna Project under the direction of Lisa Johnson. The conference ended in a cupcake reception with pictures and hugs all around. The women who attended went to 30 minute panels about each topic. They received handouts and brochures detailing community resources and ways they can advocate for services to help them in prison and after they return to the community. We were very lucky to have the full support of the Prison administration. Some of the prison staff joined our conference, even though it was their day away from work. We want to especially thank Robin Bagby, Linda Haack, Lauren Kastens, and Jennifer Glass for their support. Below are some pictures from the conference. Unfortunately none include the women from the inside who were instrumental in making this happen. Without their networking, hardwork, organization, and research we never could have done the work we did together this year.
