I recently had the opportunity to learn about women in prison and how they cope with everyday life. The three women I learned about were Michelle, Sherri and Kati. They have been incarcerated at Cambridge Springs State Correctional Institution for two, seven and nine years. Each of the women are nearing parole within the next few months. .
The first woman that spoke about prison was Michelle. She was raised in a small city, outside of Erie, with everything going for her. Everything she ever wanted in life was there for her; all she had to do was achieve it. At the time, she was working on getting an Associates and Paralegal degree.
Michelle's life took a drastic turn when she got caught up in gambling on horses at the Downs in Erie, Pennsylvania. She started to write bad checks so she could feed her terrible habit. Then one day all of her bad gambling habits caught up to her. She was arrested and sent to Cambridge Springs Correctional Institution for deception and also for writing bad checks. Michelle received a three-year sentence where she has served for two years. .
Prison life has made Michelle feel very humiliated because she feels that her family and friends will not have the same respect for her now. While in prison she has lost many rights and almost all of her freedom. When released from prison she plans to purse a career in welding once she attains a welding certificate. .
The next woman that spoke about her life of wrongdoings and prison was a 27-year-old gay woman named Sherri. Before her incarceration Sherri lived a pretty typical life. She was a straight A student and had an excellent life ahead of her. Sherri was attending a small college in eastern Pennsylvania at the time of her arrest. The story began when she was taking her sisters boyfriend to Country Fair to buy cigarettes. Sherri waited in the car for him to return when he came out with a bag of money and a gun. He told her to drive or she would get in trouble, so she did as she was told.
