Arresting Hope: Women Taking Action in Prison Inside Out

by Ruth Elwood Martin (Editor), Mo Korchinski (Editor), Lynn Fels (Editor)

Arresting Hope reminds us that prisons are not only places of punishment, marginalization, and trauma, but that they can also be places of hope, blessing even, where people with difficult lived experiences can begin to compose stories full of healing, anticipation, communication, education, connection, and community. Arresting Hope does not present a romantic or nostalgic version of the story of a provincial correctional centre for women. It presents a story that acknowledges pressing challenges, but is also eager to present a testimony to how hopefulness is possible in prison. The editors of Arresting Hope promote hope because they have been arrested by hope's possibilities. Arresting Hope tells a story about women in a provincial prison in Canada, about how creative leadership fostered opportunities for transformation and hope, and about how engaging in research and writing contributed to healing. The book includes poetry, stories, letters, interviews, fragments of conversations, reflections, memories, quotations, journal entries, creative nonfiction, and scholarly research. Telling the whole story of a provincial correctional centre for women is impossible, simply because there are so many stories lived by so many people. Out of multiple and diverse possibilities involving many people, Arresting Hope is focused on five women--a prison doctor, a prison warden, a prison recreation therapist, a prison educator, and a prison inmate--and their stories of grief, desire, and hope. Readers of Arresting Hope Hope will re-trace the warden's vision from its inception. Readers will share in the prison doctor's journal entries and her exploration of, 'What is health?' for women in prison. Readers of Arresting Hope will learn about the ways that babies can live in prison. Readers will learn about the role of a recreation therapist in prison and the significance of Indigenous education in Canadian prisons. Readers will learn about participatory health research processes of transformation. Readers will be introduced to the narratives of some incarcerated women, including Mo Korchinski. They will journey with Mo Korchinski, from childhood through her revolving door incarcerations until she arrives in this prison. Readers will experience, in Mo's narratives and in her illustrations, the transformations that occurred in this prison. Readers of Arresting Hope will get to know Mo as prison inmate, writer and artist; they will also come to know Mo as advocate, researcher, woman, mother and grandmother.

Genres: Nonfiction

252 pages, Paperback

First published June 30, 2014

Reviews

[Leah Kostamo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! Arresting Hope tells the story of how the lives of women inmates are transformed when the prison cultures shifts to one of therapeutic healing rather than punishment. The first-hand stories by inmates in their own voices was both heartbreaking and inspiring. And the vision of the prison warden and Dr. Ruth Martin who conceived of a collaborative health research project in which the inmates guided and completed the research on health issues they were interested in was remarkable.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a good story (it reads like a novel) or anyone who cares about those needing healing.

[Lisa Nikolits · Rating 5 out of 5]

A profoundly moving and important book. The first step towards actioning cultural and societal change is awareness. Awareness creates empathy which helps motivate change. The personal insights and philosophies in this book will change the way you view the disenfranchised.

[Hilary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed September 2018

I read this book for a public health course. Poignant. Narratives expressing pain, tenacity, and hope.

This was probably not the main point of the book, but I was especially drawn to the theme of research and healing. I was intrigued by how Dr. Martin's community-based participatory action research project instilled in participants a strong sense of hope and meaning. In research, we often speak of "knowledge translation"- the importance of research outcomes having tangible impact on relevant communities/stakeholders. This book is a reminder of how "benefits to participants" need not be limited to the findings/results of research projects, but can (and wherever possible, should) be threaded throughout the process and experience of various stages of the research itself. A good reminder for research staff involved in human research; we do not need to wait for "successful results" for participants to benefit.

[Ruth Elwood]

Arresting Hope - review by Leah Kostamo, on November 20, 2014: I loved this book! Arresting Hope tells the story of how the lives of women inmates are transformed when the prison cultures shifts to one of therapeutic healing rather than punishment. The first-hand stories by inmates in their own voices was both heartbreaking and inspiring. And the vision of the prison warden and Dr. Ruth Martin who conceived of a collaborative health research project in which the inmates guided and completed the research on health issues they were interested in was remarkable. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a good story (it reads like a novel) or anyone who cares about those needing healing (and isn't that all of us?).

Arresting Hope - review by Gerald Kent, lawyer, on November 22, 2014: Hope for the hopeless, love for the unloved. A story about an inspiring effort in a women’s prison which produced remarkable results. Lives saved and changed; the chains of addiction and destructive behavior dissolved away through respect and compassion. A reminder how self-sacrificing love and idealism can be transformative in the lives of all involved – a sign of a different reality that arrests and delivers hope and healing. An inspiring read!

[Veronika Moravan · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Arresting Hope” is a thoughtful and insightful book. The book recounts the all too short existence of a real-file prison where real-life women were rehabilitated through the creation of an environment that promoted their emotionally, spiritually and physically healing. How such a program was conceived and implemented is lucidly and passionately described in the form of vignettes, recollections, and journal entries of administrators, wardens, counsellors, and medical professionals. Most heartfelt, and sometimes heart-breaking, are the stories and poems written by formerly incarcerated women. Highly recommended reading.

[Barbara Atkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it as well. Local story of women innovators in health care for women - what healing can look like.

[KateMc]

If there is ever a call for nominations for a reading list that will make society a better place I would back this book's bid for inclusion.