Sitting in a tiny room on a plastic chair bolted to the ground, surrounded by the noise of the cells and hyper-aware of every passing precious second of conference time, it is easy to forget that for most people, this is not a normal Tuesday. The nature of our work means that we are often meeting people for the first time on one of the worst days of their lives. The relationships we have with our clients give us only snapshots; entire lives reduced to hastily jotted notes and phrases like “traumatic childhood”, “unstable home life”, and “significant mental health challenges”.
When the trial is over and sentence handed down, the next chapters of our client’s lives capture little media interest. When people are incarcerated, it seems to the public that their stories simply stop… But this is not the case.
Mim Skinner’s memoir ‘The Prison Teacher’ tells the story of her time working as an arts and crafts teacher in a women’s prison. It’s a rollercoaster of a book; Skinner balances the bleak reality of the day to day struggles of the women she works with, with moments of glorious, hilarious, humanity.
Women make up just 5% of the prison population, but their stories are no less significant than those of their male counterparts – though they are often entwined with them. Many of them are constantly walking the line between victim and perpetrator, trapped in cycles of addiction, abuse, and crime.
The public views convicted women in many ways, but rarely as people. This is what Skinner’s memoir captures so effectively. Not ‘villains’ or ‘victims’, but brilliant, complicated, interesting people. Not statistics, but Catherine, Karla, and Joan.
Skinner’s memoir offers an honest, bittersweet, and eye-opening account of her experiences, and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for more insight into what it’s like for women behind bars.
