Former Female Inmates Get Second Chance

SAN JOSE, Ca – Though only 22, Myshael Baker has been in and out of jail three times for drugs and theft since she was 18. She now says that she has learned her lesson and that the Ladder Project program has offered her an opportunity to find a new life once released from Elmwood Women’s Correctional Facility in Milpitas.

Liz Kniss, Santa Clara County Supervisor, says that the Ladder Project is a hope for incarcerated women because most are single mothers with few opportunities. “They need to develop quality skills for them to live and adapt to society. The ones who did complete the project did so all through their own determination. From then on it is their job to fulfill their part,” noted Kniss.

The program brought together the Department of Corrections, the Commission of Women, and other diverse organizations to provide construction trainings to women in correctional facilities.

A recent study conducted by the Office of Commission of Women reports that finding employment is one of the biggest challenges that most formerly incarcerated women tend to face following their release. It has been proven that inmates who received good training prior to release have a greater chance of getting and maintaining employment. And the training does more than simply boosting the resume. The same study shows that successful completion of job-readiness programs has a positive effect in terms of building strong personal motivation and communication skills.

Programs such as the Ladder Project play a particularly important role as incarceration rates for women continue to climb.

Sergeant B. Notari noted that Elmwood has 600 inmates, of whom 38% are Latinas, 70% are single mothers, 76% have experienced physical and psychological abuse since childhood, and 46% have been victims of rape. Given these inmates’ troubled past, reports of trauma, mental health, and consumption of drugs tend to increase.

The facility, in which few are undocumented as 86% are U.S. born, belongs to the County of Santa Clara and is run by 81 deputies, 4 sergeants, and 7 assistants. Its annual budget is 7 million dollars.

Elmwood inmates in the Ladder Project get schooling in math and basic construction skills, and they have to complete 100 hours of instruction in 8 months. They also receive training in childcare, housekeeping, communications, and they take some classes that count as credit for Foothill College.

During interviews, many of these women expressed guilt for failing their families, but they also believed they can move forward. Through their personal stories, they speak about their reality, plans for the future, and resolve not to come back to jail.

One such believer is Monica Galindo, 29, who has four children aged between 2 and 11. She was sentenced to 7 months in prison for theft. “I learned my lesson and don’t want to come back to jail. I want to move forward for my children and take advantage of this program.I want to find employment to help my children,” comments Galindo.

Another is Angela Galli, 22, who also spent five months in jail for theft. Galli is remorseful of her mistake and wants to study to be a medical assistant to start anew. Life, she reflects, has not been easy for her and she feels the current system has failed many women.

According to noted psychologist Maria Fernandez, women who have criminal records suffer a permanent discrimination in the social and employment arenas. “Many women are not forgiven for violating legal and social norms. Nonetheless, what people ignore is that these women are survivors of a difficult childhood, lacking the opportunity to develop personally and emotionally,” she says.

Fernandez adds that in many cases, their criminal activities are the results of maltreatments by their partners, family violence, and drug addiction. They are victims of our failed social, education, and economic system. Often while in jail, the solitude allows them moments to reflect on their lives and find a new road that would lead them out of the current situations.

Ultimately, for many of these women, what they are looking forward to most is motherhood and uniting with families upon leaving Elmwood. They hope through the Ladder Project program, they could learn skills and develop self-confidence to gain employment to take care of themselves and their loved ones.