Yesterday, a judge ruled that Marissa Alexander--the mom who was facing 60 years in prison for firing a warning shot to fend off her abusive partner--will be released from prison and reunited with her children.
But the truth is, the fight isn't over. Each year, thousands of domestic abuse survivors--mostly women of color--end up incarcerated while their abusers go free or face lesser sentences. Marissa Alexander's case made headlines and brought the issue to the forefront, but now it's up to us to keep speaking up until no domestic violence survivor is treated like a criminal.
This is the truth about how the justice system treats survivors of domestic violence. Please share.
Yesterday, a judge ruled that Marissa Alexander--the mom who was facing 60 years in prison for firing a warning shot to fend off her abusive partner--will be released from prison and reunited with her children.
But the truth is, the fight isn't over. Each year, thousands of domestic abuse survivors--mostly women of color--end up incarcerated while their abusers go free or face lesser sentences. Marissa Alexander's case made headlines and brought the issue to the forefront, but now it's up to us to keep speaking up until no domestic violence survivor is treated like a criminal.
This is the truth about how the justice system treats survivors of domestic violence. Please share.
Sources:
1. Women and Prison, Sociologists for Women in Society Fact Sheet
2. People of Color and Criminal Justice in the United States, Center for American Progress
3. The Shackling of Pregnant Women & Girls in U.S. Prisons, Jails & Youth Detention Centers, ACLU
4. Women in prison: an overview, ACLU