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| Lisa Calderón, MLS, J.D. |
These are among the takeaways from the keynote speech delivered Lisa M. Calderón, Director of the Community Reentry Project in Denver, at the 2017 ACCESS Summit, a learning symposium created for and developed by service providers that emphasized the need to recognize and dismantle barriers for victims and survivors of violence who are seeking support and resources.
“The more that we are informed about the intersecting issues and oppressions that people experience – whatever side they are on criminal justice line – the better that we can create interventions that will increase community and family safety for all of us,” said Calderón, who leads a team that works on behalf of formerly incarcerated persons for their successful transition back into the community. As an active community member, Calderón is involved with several community-based initiatives to create more opportunities for low-income women, youth of color, and formerly incarcerated persons.
More than 20 years ago, discussing the intersectionalities of women’s identities and oppressions seemed to be a radical idea. At that time, Calderón was working as a legal director in a domestic violence program that served many Native American women.
“There was lots of pushback, particularly among white women in the movement who felt that we only needed to focus on being a woman first,” she said.
“Working with Native women really challenged me to think about how we serve intersecting identities and intersecting systems in their lives, and I became a better advocate for that learning.”
Today, criminalized women tend to be disproportionately women of color in their mid-30s. They are most likely to have drug-related offenses that are related to traumas, violent family history, and repeated episodes of sexual assault and domestic violence.
Among the incarcerated population, one in 18 are black women, compared to one in 56 among white women. Compared with men, women have more severe histories of sexual assault and physical abuse.
“Why do people hurt people?” asked Calderón. “If we can go back and understand the causes of the behavior, then there are things we can do to help prevent it.”
Trauma is both an event and a response, and leading with a trauma-informed approach is important in understanding and designing effective interventions for the “complicated victim,” said Calderón , who encourages drawing upon empathy and compassion in understanding the situations of women in crisis.
“We should not only see women as offenders, but as women coming through the criminal justice system because systems have failed them.” Many survivors of intimate partner violence who also find themselves in jail often have substance abuse issues or are involved in sex work. All are dealing with a lifetime of cumulative traumas. As children, a large majority of women in jail have endured physical, emotional and sexual abuse. “We take our whole selves into whatever situation we are in, and jail is no different,” she said. “What happens to a woman before she goes to jail is going to impact her while she’s in jail.”
“A trauma-informed response shifts the question from ‘What’s wrong with you?’ to ‘What happened to you?’” Calderón said.
In working with women involved in the justice system, Calderón emphasizes the importance of building trust and mutual respect. Motivating someone toward making healthy choices in their lives requires working in partnership to raise their self-efficacy and empowerment.
“If you are simply telling people what to do, the initial response is resistance. Even within very limited options, we can still give people choice,” she said.
By presenting clear options and consequences, advocates can help people to rethink their lives in different ways. If they understand their options, people are more likely to visualize different possibilities that are present in their lives.
“We’re not saviors. If we work in partnership with people, they will more likely trust us to work on those options. A trauma-informed response maximizes empowerment, choice, and collaboration.”
In her work, Calderón also is an advocate for making changes to physical spaces available in jails and prisons. She has done extensive research on creating physical environments that are based on safety, dignity and respect. Some prisons have already started offering inmates redesigned spaces with access to nature and natural light. Calderón acknowledges that providing comfortable spaces that eliminate physical and psychological barriers continues to be a controversial concept.
“Jail does not have to be the punishment, the deprivation of freedom already is,” Calderón said. “To be in a pretty cage is still a cage.”
Learn more about the Community Reentry Project.
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| Lisa Calderón was the keynote speaker at the 2017 ACCESS Summit held at the Lowry Conference Center. |