The View Magazine 12 Autumn/Winter 2024: Women Versus the State – Stories of Hope and Resistance
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The autumn/winter edition of The View Magazine launches on 10th December 2024, addressing the systemic failures of the state in protecting women’s rights and health within the criminal justice system.
This edition uncovers how the justice system continues to incarcerate women under harsh conditions without considering their health or personal circumstances. It examines how systemic neglect and securitisation infringe on women’s autonomy, both domestically and in global conflict zones.
The View Magazine is created by and for women with lived experience of the justice system. Contributors are paid £50 per submission, and 2,000 copies are distributed at no cost to women’s prisons, hostels, secure units, detention centres, and women’s centres to ensure these vital voices are heard.
The theme Women Versus the State runs throughout this powerful edition, revealing how neglect within the justice system pushes women to the brink, often leaving them responsible for their own survival. A special section, ‘Women in Conflict’, sheds light on the state’s repeated failures to protect women in war-torn regions.
From the Bench: Farah Damji. One of the key features of this edition focuses on Farah Damji, a woman suffering from stage 3 breast cancer. Despite requiring urgent chemotherapy to improve her survival rate—currently estimated at just 22% over the next five years—Farah has been repeatedly failed by the prison system. Her health continues to decline as she fights a corrupt legal framework to access the treatment she desperately needs. The View Magazine continues to highlight Farah’s harrowing story to ensure others do not endure the same fate.
Mia Ayton, editor of The View Magazine, interviews Emma Bramley, artistic director of 8 Hours There and Back. Emma explores the devastating impact of parental incarceration on children and explains how her play, co-written with Sarah Hogarth, seeks to drive meaningful change.
Alex Clarke, Policy Officer at Working Chance, discusses the UK Sentencing Review led by former Justice Minister Rt. Hon. David Gauke, highlighting how harsh sentencing decisions disproportionately affect women’s lives.
The issue includes ‘Women Behind Bars: Stories of Justice, Trauma, and Hope’, a poignant case study collection featuring raw, personal accounts from incarcerated women, their families, and children. These stories reveal the deep, systemic neglect that shatters lives both inside and beyond prison walls.
Adalah Khalil, a Palestinian woman, shares a deeply personal account of life in conflict-stricken Palestine and its impact on her community.
Lawyer Scott Primmer examines the legal implications of “stealthing,” a disturbing practice which one in ten people reportedly do not recognise as a crime.
Sofia, a woman manipulated by MI5 and later convicted of terrorism offences, recounts how she was exploited by a counter-terrorism officer in prison.
The Vox Holloway Choir discusses their inspiration behind the Between Bars project, sharing how they represent complex issues surrounding incarceration through music.
With 124 pages of hard-hitting content, The View Magazine brings attention to the profound mental and physical health harms caused by incarceration. It explores how these injustices ripple outwards, affecting families and communities, while showcasing stories of resilience, creativity, and activism.
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