Isaiah 65:17 gives hope of a new heaven and a new earth; one where the former things are no longer a memory. I believe that we can create a world where injustice will be a distant memory. I believe that we can create a world where women are free to heal from the traumas which have been inflicted on them, and can be restored to live happy and healthy lives.

Because of the legal system in which we live, people who struggle with addictions are imprisoned and kept away from the treatment that they need to become healthy and productive in the community. The overcrowded prison system is not effective in providing rehabilitation for people fighting addictions. This problem is causing women to be vulnerable to violence and abuse at the hands of prison staff.

“Women are more likely than men to come for drug and property crimes and less likely to be convicted of violent crimes. They're also less likely to be violent once they're in prison.

They're also more likely than men to have significant problems with substance abuse, to have mental health problems and to be the caregiving parent of a minor child.

And about 80 to 90 percent of women in prison have been victims of sexual or physical violence, according to Alyssa Benedict, a consultant who is working in Illinois and other states to change the way prisons treat women.”https://www.npr.org/2018/10/15/647874342/in-prison-discipline-comes-down-hardest-on-women

Proverbs 31:8 calls us to speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, and who are being crushed by oppression. We must use our voices and speak out with our votes and our resources to bring liberation for all people.