Women in Prison in Minnesota: Voices of Hope from Within Prison Walls

Thank you for joining the Robina Institute on Friday, June 9, 2017, for "Women in Prison in Minnesota: Voices of Hope from Within Prison Walls." View a recording of the event below.

For this conversation, we discussed the challenges and the realities that are unique to women who have been incarcerated. The Robina Institute is grateful to members of the Twin Cities Women's Choir, who sang "Voices of Hope," composed and conducted by University of Minnesota doctoral candidate Amanda Weber, who recounted her experiences leading a chorus of incarcerated women at the Minnesota Correctional Facility at Shakopee.

We then heard from a panel of formerly incarcerated women, who openly discussed their experiences, successes, and challenges reentering society. Thank you, Gina, Kourtney, Mariah, and Rea for sharing your powerful stories.

The program concluded with a panel of professionals who discussed some of the implications of and contributing factors to Minnesota’s growing population of incarcerated women. This panel was moderated by Robina Institute Research Director, Dr. Ebony Ruhland, and included Assistant Professor Rebecca Shlafer, University of Minnesota, Department of Pediatrics; Dr. Jim Verhoye, Education Director, Minnesota Correctional Facility at Shakopee; Judge Bruce Peterson, 4th Judicial District; and Autumn Cavender-Wilson, Certified Professional Midwife.