WHAT
WE DO
PROGRAMS & SERVICES
Advocacy for Safety & Dignity
When policy and procedure are created that cause incarcerated women's human rights to be infringed upon, we prioritize these issues, because we remember the hopelessness and darkness that looms over us when we are silenced. Restoring lost voices and standing firmly for what is good and right and true is the foundation that WIIW is built on.
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BPH Preparedness
It takes a team to prepare for parole suitability hearings. The emotional and physical toll it takes on people is a burden we try to lighten by partnering with women and their legal teams long before their board date. We collect support letters, help get the mind and soul ready for board decisions, and develop a plan for every outcome.
Commutation Support
Being granted a commutation of sentence in California is not unheard of anymore, even for those sentenced to Life Without the Possibility of Parole (LWOP). As in BPH Preparation, filing for a commutation of sentence can take an emotional and physical toll. We provide direction, consultation, support letters, and partner with outside agencies for women seeking a commutation of sentence.
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Freedom Campaigns
Freedom campaigns consist of 1,000 personalized, pre-addressed postcards to the Governor’s office, advocating for the commutation of someone sentenced to Life Without The Possibility of Parole, and postage. The cost for each campaign is $600. To fund a campaign click the Donate button below.
Re-Entry Support
Transitioning from prison to the free world can be a stressful and retraumatizing experience, but it does not have to be. We provide one-on-one mentoring, peer support, employment preparation, and education with a focus on tech literacy for women re-entering society, some after years. We also act as a resource hub to connect women to dignified resources and other re-entry services that best fit their needs.
Self-Care Postcards
The Self-Care Postcards program is our way of sharing helpful skills and tips with our sisters. Anyone who requests to be placed on the Self-Care Postcard list will receive 1-2 postcards per month. Topics include Grounding Techniques, Positive Self-Talk, Boundaries, and more. A set of 50 postcards/postage is $45. Click the Donate button below if you would like to help fund this program.
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WE ARE HER
PRIVATE FACEBOOK GROUP
When one of our founders was paroled in 2013, she came home to a time and place that she no longer fit into. There were no resources with any familiarities that many of us find comforting and need in order to take the first step towards accepting our freedom. It was at that point she made an exclusive, private Facebook group for formerly incarcerated women to connect in a healthy, virtual environment that assists in the process of developing tech literacy. This group can only be accessed after you’ve been vetted by one of 3 administrators to ensure the absolute privacy of these sacred grounds. We share resources, encouragements, parole grants, events, and the things that only we as formerly incarcerated women can understand. Today WE ARE HER has over 1,400 active members and is growing every day.
WIIW EXPRESS
WIIW Express is our ride-home service for women incarcerated in California's Women's prisons. We provide transportation from "the gate" to parole-approved transitional housing/residential addresses for women who do not have a ride home. Our drivers are formerly incarcerated women who know what it’s like to parole, some after decades. We understand the multitude of emotions that come with this part of the journey, from excitement to nervousness. We’re here for our sisters. Our rides include our WIIW Welcome Home Bags, a little something to welcome women home in dignity & style. And hey! Lunch is on us! One of the questions our staff at WIIW remember answering was, "What's the first thing you're going to eat when you parole?" Well, we want to be there when our sisters take that first bite! They pick the place; we pick up the tab.
SUPPORT OUR WORK
The safety & dignity of incarcerated women must be prioritized!
Being that we at Woman II Woman are all formerly incarcerated, have been impacted by the system, are now in a constant state of a life long recovery process to maintain mental health, and put a great deal of effort into simply living post incarceration, we feel deeply what happens to our sisters inside. It affects us because part of us is still inside. We believe that they need to be prioritized, because what they are subjected to, what tests they are used for, what few rights they have that are taken away are what we have to look forward to in the free world if we do not stand up for who society considers the least of us. Once a woman becomes state property, once she walks off her county bus and into the prison gates, she is forgotten. We have to change that, because all people have redemptive value. Everyone has the ability to change and grow. Everyone deserves to do their time in an environment where they can rehabilitate. Everyone has the right of being a part of something positive without being exploited in some way, shape or form. We want to nurture positive change while growing in areas that we need to improve in our own lives, because we know this is a life long process, and we are committed and we are not going anywhere.