“I've tried to be strong and confident but sometimes as a woman, it really hurts when you are trying to move forward. There are so many barriers to overcome to achieve basic human rights such as a safe place to live in which to rebuild your life. Even months later, the struggle continues and I'm still in temporary accommodation and battling ill-health. It's no wonder women with no-one to turn to go back.”
These words from Althea Smith, published in the Huffington Post, describe her plight upon leaving prison. Her obstacles aren’t unusual – they are those of nearly every woman finishing a short prison sentence. A woman that has just been stripped of her dignity. Separated from her children. Left to simmer in her trauma. She is placed back into her community and expected to have recovered from the lack that led her to prison in the first place.
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