Article update: On February 11, the Poughkeepsie Journal reported that Nicole Addimando, who killed her boyfriend in 2017, as she testified, in self-defense from abuse, has been sentenced to 19 years-to-life in prison for the murder. Earlier this month, the paper reported that Addimando’s sentencing would not be under the Domestic Violence Survivor’s Justice Act, which would have allowed for a lesser sentence.
The recent conviction of Dutchess County’s Nicole Addimando, a mother of two, in the killing of her longtime
boyfriend—an act she testified to committing in self-defense after years of
abuse—has brought to light the numbers of women in prison, especially, mothers.
As Addimando and the rest of us await word on her
sentencing, including the possible factoring
of the Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act that allows for sentencing considerations for victims of
domestic violence, Diana McHugh of the Women’s Prison Association in New York provides a closer look at circumstances surrounding
mothers in prison.
Most women in prison are mothers. Women are more likely than men to enter prison with a history of trauma,
addiction, and/or mental illness and are more likely than men to be the primary
caregiver of their children before and after incarceration.
The racial divide. The population of mothers in
prison varies by ethnicity, with the incarceration rates for women reflecting
tremendous racial disparities. Women of color constitute more than 60
percent of those in prison. The punitive, controlling, and often violent
nature of the criminal legal system mimics the histories of trauma and violence
that too many women face before they connect with the system. Therefore,
criminal systems’ involvement often only serves to further traumatize and
disrupt the stability of a woman and her family.
Mothers are often arrested as a result of their efforts to cope
with poverty, unemployment, intimate partner violence, mental health
challenges, substance use, and other trauma; all experiences our judicial system criminalizes.
Most women in prison have experienced trauma, yet the
judicial system’s screening tools and intake
procedures, were designed for men and frequently
fail to take the unique circumstances of women into account.
FACT: Of the nearly 50,000 prisoners under jurisdiction of New
York State or federal correctional authorities in 2017, almost
2,300 were women, according to the U.S. Department of Justice Office, Bureau of
Justice Statistics.
Turning
the tide. Specialized
programs that support incarcerated women can go a long way in helping them move
forward in positive ways, benefiting individuals and their families. The Women’s
Prison Association (WPA), for instance, empowers women to redefine their lives
in the face of injustice and incarceration. The WPA provides
individualized, trauma-informed support to women before, during, and after
incarceration, with a focus on preventing women from entering the prison system
in the first place.
Moreover,
the WPA’s alternative to incarceration allows women
to serve their sentences in the community, rather than in prison or jail. This
program focuses on the root causes of a woman’s crime, which is better
addressed in the community, and limits
disruption to her family. In the program,
women find safety and stability, remain with their children and
families, and work to meet highly personalized goals with the support of expert
staff. With this unique support, 90 percent of
graduates avoid further contact with the criminal legal system and many remain
with WPA to partake in our workforce development and leadership programming.
Community support/individualized attention. Supportive
programs can be a real boon to systems-involved women, but efforts that avoid
‘one size fits all’ strategies are the most effective. Depending on her
situation, any one woman’s needs vary from another’s, perhaps, therapy,
childcare, safe housing, and/or a living wage. These are things that can only
be provided in the community; things impossible to achieve from within a
prison. The WPA, for examples, works to maintain a woman’s agency and
dignity, and support her as she dictates her path to success. All women deserve to be safe.
Those looking to support should invest in marginalized communities that need safe housing, quality
education, and access to healthcare. They also need to support holistic
programs and alternatives to incarceration over blind, punitive measures that
don’t increase public safety. As well, people need to talk about their experiences:
nearly everyone knows someone who has been impacted by the criminal legal
system. Reducing stigma, encouraging others to believe in the good in people,
supporting the struggles of others are powerful narratives that can change
minds and hearts. And, of course, send your support in dollars to local
community organizations with expertise in this work.
Diana McHugh is Director of Communications for the Women’s Prison Association in New York.