Reconciled and Redeemed: The Voices of Angela House, A Transitional Living Facility for Formerly Incarcerated Women
Phylliss Chappell, MD, MS, FAAHPM, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX and Valencia Lewis, The Angela House, Houston, TX
The United States is one of the highest incarcerators of women in the world. There are 190,600 women and girls incarcerated in this country. Over a quarter of these women are awaiting trial, have not been convicted of a crime, and are legally innocent. The majority of these women are subjected to pretrial detention, not because they are considered flight risks but because typical bail approximates or exceeds their yearly income. A history of trauma is prevalent in the lives of incarcerated women, often beginning as childhood trauma and abuse, leading to "spiraling victimization, addiction, and marginalization." (Heidemann et al. 2016. Page 4) Childhood abuse, intimate partner violence, non-partner sexual violence, homelessness, and substance use disorders are recognized pathways to involvement in the criminal justice system. (Heidemann et al. 2016; Kajstura. 2024) Our society sends these women and girls to the trauma and violence of prisons and jails, separating many from their dependent children while providing scarce mental, physical, and spiritual resources. "Prison is no answer for marginalized, traumatized women." (Kajstura, 2024)
Nearly 2.5 million women and girls are released from U.S. prisons and jails each year. Texas has a higher incarceration rate "than any independent democratic country on earth" and releases approximately 227,778 incarcerated women and girls each year. (Prison Policy Initiative, Texas Profile, 2024) Formerly incarcerated women confront discrimination, stigmatization, internalized shame, and barriers to employment, housing, and education, often further complicated by chronic health conditions, substance use disorder (addiction), impaired coping and relational skills, and a lack of psychosocial support. Rigid, burdensome, and often conflicting conditions of parole and probation often place these traumatized and marginalized women "in impossible situations where violations are unavoidable." (Widra, 2024) The high rates of recidivism are not surprising.
After serving as a Chicago police officer for over a decade, Maureen O'Connell became a Dominican sister. Sr. Maureen, O.P. (Order of Preachers) moved to Houston, Texas, to pursue a graduate degree in social work and worked with families presenting with child abuse. Sr. Maureen believed that, without a chance to heal, the devastating impact of their childhood trauma would become their pathway into the criminal justice system. With the bishop's blessing, Sr. Maureen began to mentor women in prison. She very soon discerned that these women needed more than a mentor. They needed a safe place to live! A stable, nurturing space where the women could develop life, coping, and relational skills that their early experiences of neglect, trauma, or abuse had thwarted. In 2001, The Angela House was born.
The Angela House, with its unique services, has been a source of hope, reconciliation, and redemption for many formerly incarcerated women. This program provides trauma-informed rehabilitative services in a safe, homelike atmosphere structured for their unique needs. The program includes individual and group therapy, medical, dental, and mental health care referrals, job readiness training, twelve-step recovery groups, budgeting and money management classes, relationship recovery classes, emotional and spiritual support, and continued support for graduates and former Angela House residents. The Angela House has served over 578 formerly incarcerated women and provided over 8,000 safe nights of rest for the women who reside there. 87% of the women who have completed this program have successfully transitioned into society after incarceration, a testament to the profound effectiveness of this holistic program.
Anna was a resident of Angela House when she was diagnosed with an incurable, metastatic cancer. “Whatever happens now”, she said, “I am grateful to God for my time at Angela House. These have been the best years of my life. God has reconciled my relationships with my children. The Lord has redeemed my life.” This presentation will tell the stories of the women of The Angela House, honoring their voices, which often go unheard.
References
Nearly 2.5 million women and girls are released from U.S. prisons and jails each year. Texas has a higher incarceration rate "than any independent democratic country on earth" and releases approximately 227,778 incarcerated women and girls each year. (Prison Policy Initiative, Texas Profile, 2024) Formerly incarcerated women confront discrimination, stigmatization, internalized shame, and barriers to employment, housing, and education, often further complicated by chronic health conditions, substance use disorder (addiction), impaired coping and relational skills, and a lack of psychosocial support. Rigid, burdensome, and often conflicting conditions of parole and probation often place these traumatized and marginalized women "in impossible situations where violations are unavoidable." (Widra, 2024) The high rates of recidivism are not surprising.
After serving as a Chicago police officer for over a decade, Maureen O'Connell became a Dominican sister. Sr. Maureen, O.P. (Order of Preachers) moved to Houston, Texas, to pursue a graduate degree in social work and worked with families presenting with child abuse. Sr. Maureen believed that, without a chance to heal, the devastating impact of their childhood trauma would become their pathway into the criminal justice system. With the bishop's blessing, Sr. Maureen began to mentor women in prison. She very soon discerned that these women needed more than a mentor. They needed a safe place to live! A stable, nurturing space where the women could develop life, coping, and relational skills that their early experiences of neglect, trauma, or abuse had thwarted. In 2001, The Angela House was born.
The Angela House, with its unique services, has been a source of hope, reconciliation, and redemption for many formerly incarcerated women. This program provides trauma-informed rehabilitative services in a safe, homelike atmosphere structured for their unique needs. The program includes individual and group therapy, medical, dental, and mental health care referrals, job readiness training, twelve-step recovery groups, budgeting and money management classes, relationship recovery classes, emotional and spiritual support, and continued support for graduates and former Angela House residents. The Angela House has served over 578 formerly incarcerated women and provided over 8,000 safe nights of rest for the women who reside there. 87% of the women who have completed this program have successfully transitioned into society after incarceration, a testament to the profound effectiveness of this holistic program.
Anna was a resident of Angela House when she was diagnosed with an incurable, metastatic cancer. “Whatever happens now”, she said, “I am grateful to God for my time at Angela House. These have been the best years of my life. God has reconciled my relationships with my children. The Lord has redeemed my life.” This presentation will tell the stories of the women of The Angela House, honoring their voices, which often go unheard.
References
- Heidemann, G., Cederbaum, J. A., Martinez, S., & LeBel, T. P. (2016). Wounded healers: How formerly incarcerated women help themselves by helping others. Punishment & Society, 18(1), 3-26. https://doi.org/10.1177/1462474515623101
- Kajstura A, Sawyer W. Women's Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2024. Prison Policy Initiative. Published March 5, 2024. Accessed October 18, 2024. https://www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/pie2024women.html.
- Prison Policy Initiative. Texas Profile. https://www.prisonpolicy.org/profiles/TX.html. Prison Policy Initiative. Accessed October 25, 2024.
- Widra E. Punishment Beyond Prisons 2023: Incarceration and supervision by state. Published May 2023. Accessed October 26, 2024. https://www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/probation_conditions.html.
- About Angela House. Angela House. Accessed October 25, 2024. https://angelahouse.org/about/.