Memoir is about the past, and nowhere is the shadow of the past more present than in prisons, where one pays for what cannot be rewritten. Since Herstory’s first workshop for women behind bars in 2004, we have expanded our offerings to provide opportunities for people of all ages and genders involved in the criminal legal system to use memoir writing to give voice to the stories that for many have remained buried for too long. Herstory Beyond Bars includes workshops behind and beyond prison walls for people who are incarcerated, those in reentry, court-involved youth, and their families.  

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By using memoir to revisit moments of their journeys with new eyes, those who have been caught in a system that too often results in a downward spiral find hope, creative freedom, and the opportunity to build on their spirit and strength. Herstory Beyond Bars also engages correction officers, judges, law students, and professors and students of criminology through trainings and writing workshops that foster their capacity to open new avenues of empowerment, second chances, and growth to the people they serve.

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Using a story-based strategy with the goal of changing hearts, minds, and policies, this program brings to light the lived experiences of those affected by the criminal legal system. By publishing and sharing writing produced behind and beyond bars with correction officers, prison administrators, educators, scholars, legislators, and activists, Herstory participates in and strengthens the movement for prison reform in the US. Excerpts from these memoirs in progress, with the authors’ permission, were used in the successful New York State Raise the Age campaign, which resulted in legislation in 2017 forbidding the incarceration of 16- and 17-year-olds with adults for nonviolent crimes. Herstory Beyond Bars publications have also been used by 150 people training to become correction officers at Suffolk County’s Correctional Academy.