Pubdate: Fri, 04 Mar 2005
Source: Tennessean, The (TN)
Copyright: 2005 The Tennessean
Contact:  http://www.tennessean.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/447
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/women.htm (Women)

MARTHA STEWART'S LIVING

Hundreds of women around the nation emerge from prison sentence each day. 
Few face the living Martha Stewart does.

America's most famous convict has done her five-month stint for lying about 
her knowledge of a stock tip. She leaves Alderson Federal Prison Camp with 
two television shows on tap, one courtesy of her friend Donald Trump. Even 
stock in Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc., has climbed back up from 
$8.25 a share a year ago on her conviction to $32.04 on the New York Stock 
Exchange.

Other female ex-offenders should be so lucky. The number of women in prison 
has climbed to 93,000 in state and federal prisons nationwide, seven times 
the number 25 years ago and at double the rate of men incarcerated. Nearly 
a quarter of women in state prisons have a history of mental illness. Many 
are a casualty of drug addiction which landed them in prison. Quite often, 
according to criminal justice figures, they were victims of physical and 
sexual abuse before entering prison.

They had few job skills going in and few coming out. For them, there is no 
correcting in corrections. The state and federal systems offer few 
rehabilitation programs to help women start afresh once they are released.

None of this is Stewart's fault, of course. In fact, she's become an 
advocate during her own troubles of reforming the sentencing guidelines for 
nonviolent first-time offenders and has written movingly about the plight 
of many women in prison.

However, her star power and the notoriety of her imprisonment and release 
might make a difference by calling attention to those who aren't as 
fortunate. Many felt that Stewart's imprisonment was a waste of talent that 
could be put to better use in community service instead of a jail cell. 
Others thought the maven of perfection got what she deserved.

That debate won't end, but Stewart's experience should be a useful lesson 
for the rest of us. If all prisoners had a job and skills to use once they 
got out of prison, how much better off they would be. As Stewart would say, 
that's a good thing. There should be more of it.
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