Innovative Project Bypasses Prison Bans to Deliver Women's Health Education
TL;DR
The Contrabanned campaign gives an advantage by providing crucial health education to incarcerated women, overcoming state prison bans.
The women's health book, Contrabanned, was created by sending 250 pages as letters to incarcerated women and then stitching them together.
Contrabanned makes the world a better place by empowering incarcerated women with crucial health knowledge, reducing risky behavior and reincarceration rates.
The Contrabanned campaign creatively outsmarted state prison bans, providing essential health education to incarcerated women through peer education and creativity.
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In a bold move to address the lack of women's health education in prisons, the Prison Library Project has unveiled its 'Contrabanned' campaign, coinciding with Prison Banned Books Week. This innovative project involves creating and distributing a women's health book that cleverly sidesteps prison bans on such materials, which are often deemed 'sexually explicit' despite their educational nature.
The campaign's centerpiece is a 250-page women's health book, meticulously designed to overcome prison censorship. Each page was sent as an individual letter to an incarcerated former nurse, who then assembled the book using dental floss available in the prison commissary. This method exploits a loophole where books may be banned, but letters are not, effectively 'smuggling' vital health information into prisons.
The significance of this initiative extends beyond its ingenious delivery method. The 'Contrabanned' book, authored by female health literacy experts and medical students, covers essential topics such as menstrual health, breast cancer, and sexual health. It is specifically tailored for the nearly one million incarcerated women in the United States, 70% of whom have limited literacy skills.
This project sheds light on the broader issue of censorship in prison libraries and the critical need for health education among inmates. Mckenna Deluca from the Prison Library Project emphasizes the public health implications, stating, 'This content is needed from a public health concern standpoint and for the safety of our communities.' The campaign also aims to reduce risky behavior and reincarceration rates through peer education.
The 'Contrabanned' initiative has far-reaching implications for prison reform and public health policy. It challenges the current system of book bans in prisons and advocates for the right to health education for all individuals, regardless of their incarceration status. The project's organizers have launched a petition calling for the approval of women's health books across the prison system, potentially setting a precedent for future educational initiatives in correctional facilities.
As the campaign gains traction, it raises important questions about the intersection of incarceration, education, and healthcare. The success of 'Contrabanned' could pave the way for more comprehensive health literacy programs in prisons, ultimately contributing to better health outcomes for incarcerated individuals and the communities they return to upon release.
Curated from 24-7 Press Release
