Episode 02

In this episode we stay focused on the topic of employment but look at the specific challenges that women face when they come out of prison or jail, which can make landing a job even harder. Over the last 25 years, the number of incarcerated women has increased by more than 700%. Though many more men are in prison than women, the rate of growth for female imprisonment has been twice as high as that of men since 1980. This is primarily the result of stiffer drug sentencing laws and post-conviction barriers to reentry that uniquely affect women.

According to the Sentencing Project, more than 60% of women in state prisons have a child under the age of 18. There is also a large number of women, who are mothers, that are locked up in local jails awaiting trial. One of the primary concerns incarcerated mothers have when they complete their sentence is how to reestablish a healthy relationship with their children. In this episode, we will introduce you to Together We Bake (TWB), a small non-profit organization in Alexandria, VA that offers workforce development and personal training for women in need of a second chance. You will also meet Kadija Clifton, a graduate of TWB and hear a bit of her story when she was an expectant Mom in jail.

You can order Together We Bake granola and delicious cookies to be delivered anywhere in the U.S.

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Hosts: Bea M. Spadacini and Tim Nicholson