13 Women: Parables from Prison.

Janet Arnett is the former campus manager of adult education at Ontario’s Georgian College. She is the author of Antiques and Collectibles: Starting Small, The Grange at Knock, and 673 Ways to Save Money.

In Canada, nearly 350 women are in prison, approximately four percent of the prison population. In California, the numbers are much higher—11,000 women, or 10 percent of the prison population. Whether in Canada or California, all kinds of women go to prison. There is no common identifier such as age or intelligence, but poverty is frequently a factor and a large percentage are victims of abuse.

This collection presents women’s stories in their own words, with a brief introduction describing the circumstances that led to their imprisonment. Approximately half the women’s stories are from California and half from Canada. For many of the women, drugs and racism are issues. A few were imprisoned for breaking the law to bring attention to social or environmental issues. A very powerful chapter is devoted to the imprisonment of Canadian Aboriginal women.

The work paints a disturbing portrait of prison life and what it means to a woman—especially a mother—to go to jail. Yet it illustrates the resilience of human beings and the supportive relationships that flourish even in the most negative environment.

The editors and the women who share their stories make the case, by example and by direct statement, that prisons are not helpful to victims, lawbreakers, communities, or society. While some prisons are better than others, there is no such thing as a good prison. As a society, we need to find better ways to prevent human tragedy and facilitate healing.

The work is engaging, dynamic, and forceful. It is effective in separating the reality of prison life from the hyped-up sensationalism of B-grade movies, enabling the reader to enter a world that is little known to the general public.