Chicago Books to Women in Prison

book donations: what we need

dr23schlesinger — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 14:45:45 +0000

Thanks to all of our amazing supporters, we currently have enough books in many genres for our donation library!

However, we are still (as always) in need of:

PAPERBACK ONLY!

Dictionaries
Composition books
Daily Meditations
GED prep books, especially math
Urban fiction
Books on drug or alcohol recovery
Yoga or exercise books
Health books for HIV positive people
Books on Wicca
Books on racism and/or mass imprisonment

PAPERBACK ONLY!

Thanks for all of your help in stocking our library!

Prison Boom: an Update on the Facts

dr23schlesinger — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 02:32:35 +0000

After remaining steady for almost 100 years, imprisonment rates increased from 111 in 1974 to nearly 500 by 2000; anti-prison activist refer to this surge as the ‘prison boom’. Currently, 1.5 million people are in prison and more than 7 million are under some form of correctional control. Not only this 4.5 million people have been to prison at some point in their lives and are now back in their communities suffering from a variety of legalized discrimination. And it’s not only the scale of imprisonment, but also the color. Blacks are six times more likely than whites to be imprisoned and Latinos are twice as likely as whites to be imprisoned. And while racial disparity in imprisonment has been a social reality since emancipation, the prison boom increases the impact of this disparity. In addition to all of this, between 1974 and 1996, women’s chances of going to prison at some point during their lives increased 6 times; men’s increased 3 times during the same period. As a result, while in 1980, only 4% of prisoners were women, by 2000, more than 7% Black women and white men have nearly the same chances of serving time: 3.6% and 4.4% respectively.

Kissing Booths, Pies and Rocking Out: August 23

Chicago Books to Women in Prison — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 20:16:15 +0000

Chicago Books to Women in Prison presents a night of activity stations & great music at our home base, Beyondmedia Education. Let’s eat sweet and savory pies, rock to 2 bands, make out in the kissing booth, and pack books at the activity station of book requests from people in women’s prisons.

When: Saturday, August 23, 2008, 7:00pm - 10:00pm

Where: 4001 N Ravenswood #204c, Chicago

Cost: $5-$25 at the door, sliding scale, plus cash bar.
Free drink ticket with every paperback dictionary you bring.

If you’re on facebook, you can view this event here. No need to RSVP, just bring the party!

Shop Women & Children First in July!

Chicago Books to Women in Prison — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 20:18:05 +0000

We are proud to announce that Chicago’s fabulous feminist bookstore, Women & Children First, has made us their organization of the month for the month of July!

This means that W&CF will be generously donating 10% of every purchase to Chicago Books to Women in Prison. All you have to do is print out this coupon and present it at the time of purchase. Stock up because this promotion only lasts through July!

A big THANK YOU to Women And Children First for supporting our organization!

We’ve moved!

Chicago Books to Women in Prison — Fri, 09 May 2008 00:55:44 +0000

That’s right, along with Beyondmedia we are movin’ on up to a larger, snazzier space!
You can now visit us at 4001 N Ravenswood Ave, Suite 204C.

Thanks to all of our fabulous volunteers for your help in the move.

The Parties Never Stop! Join us Friday April 18th

Chicago Books to Women in Prison — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 21:45:12 +0000

Yes, make it a double-CBWP week with Danny’s on Monday and AV-aerie on Friday!

We’re having a party with local djs (including Gutter Butter, Jessica Hopper, and others) on Friday, April 18th at AVaerie (2000 W Fulton). This is a benefit for Chicago Books to Women in Prison.

Details:
Friday, 4/18
@ AVaeire, 2000 W Fulton
Doors at 9pm.
$10 suggested donation at the door. Get in for $8 if you bring a paperback dictionary to donate.
There will be a drawing for prizes, including a 1-year iGo membership, massage gift certificates, a refurbished bike from Working Bikes, and other awesome stuff.

Come to Danny’s on April 14th!

Chicago Books to Women in Prison — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 18:57:17 +0000

Get Nerdy with the hot bookworms from Chicago Books to Women in Prison Monday, April 14th, 9pm-2am, at Danny’s 1951 W Dickens. Danny’s is giving CBWP 50% of the bar as part of their 2nd Monday Peace Parties.

Fundraiser: Top Girls at Live Bait Theatre

Chicago Books to Women in Prison — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 23:13:44 +0000

We would like to invite you all to support Chicago Books to Women in Prison’s next fundraiser, a play called Top Girls at Chicago’s Live Bait Theatre.

Here’s what wikipedia has to say about Top Girls

The play is set in Britain and implicitly condemns the increasing incidence of Thatcherist values in society, and especially their effect on Feminism . . . It comments on the contrast between American feminism, which celebrates individualistic women who acquire power and wealth, and British socialist feminism, which involves collective group gain. I The play argues against the style of feminism that simply turns women into new patriarchs and argues for a more socialist feminism that is about caring for the weak and downtrodden. The play questions whether it is possible for women in society to combine a successful career with a thriving family life.

We have about 20 tickets left for each night on Sat, March 15 (8p) and Sun, March 16 (7p). Tickets are sliding scale: $15-$25. Bring a date!

To buy a ticket (or two) please email us at chicagobwp@hotmail.com with your name, night preference, and donation level. You can pay via personal check or paypal, and your tickets will be waiting for you at the theatre.

Prison’s Not Just a ‘Man’ Thing: black women’s lifetime likelihood of going to prison is nearly as high as white men’s

dr23schlesinger — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 02:28:08 +0000

In general, women have lower lifetime chances of incarceration than men; however, black women (3.6%) have nearly the same chance as white men (4.4%) of serving time in prison. Among women, blacks are more than twice as likely as Hispanics (1.5%) and 7 times more likely than whites (0.5%) to be admitted to prison during their lives.

Gendered Differences in Child Care Means Incarceration Disproportionately Burdens Women

dr23schlesinger — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 00:04:54 +0000

According to a special report by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, women are more likely to lose their children due to imprisonment (BJS 2000). Among state prisoners, 65% of women and 55% of men have minor children. While 58% of these mothers lived with their children prior to admission, only 36% of fathers did. Mothers (46%) were also more likely than fathers (14%) to have been the only parent living with the children in the month before their arrest. Not only this, about 90% of fathers in state prison said that their children now lived with their mother, while only 28% of mothers said the father was the child’s current caregivers. Given this, it is not surprising that 10% of incarcerated mothers but only 2% of incarcerated fathers reported that their children were currently in foster care.