Behind the wall in Chicopee Massachusetts, there are 150 women serving time.  If you’re sentenced, you wear green prison garb.  If you’re waiting to be sentenced then you’re wearing orange.  The Women’s Western Mass Regional Correctional Center is under the watch of the Hampden County Sheriff, Nick Cocchi, and thus, considered a jail. Just don’t make the mistake of calling it a prison.  Prisons are either run by the state, the feds, or private industry.    Upon arriving at the jail, submitting to our CORI reports, and being escorted through the many sliding metal doors, we are ushered into a classroom where there are six incarcerated women sitting around a table and signing release forms for their interview.   Assistant Superintendent, Colleen Stocks, who runs the jail, graciously hosted us and allowed us to chat with Maggie, Vanessa, Brenda, Auntie, Keys, and Jay.  Listen in as these women open up about life behind the wall, the daily challenges of incarceration, and what they would tell their younger selves.

The Hustler Files Ep. 79 - The Women of the Western Mass Regional Jail

This episode continues some additional, and important storylines we explored during our recent visit behind the wall in Episode 79. Coincidentally, it also touched upon a recent Op-Ed article on BostonGlobe.com from Professor Susan Sered, a criminal justice specialist who wrote, ‘incarcerated women are being held in overly restrictive environments despite evidence that women pose little security risk, compared to their male counterparts.’ Based on what we heard and saw behind the wall, that article and ensuing soundbites we recorded, and now share in this episode created an interesting conversation that included The Hustler Files Producer Jess Tyler.  Of the six women we met, 1 was awaiting trial for an alleged murder, 1 for assault with a dangerous weapon, and 1 for carjacking and robbery.  The other 3 were sentenced; one for manslaughter (defending herself), one for multiple DUIs, and one for ‘being in the wrong place’.  To sit and chat with them, you could close your eyes and be anywhere but behind the wall. The sad common denominator between them was abusive childhoods, no parents or lack of parental boundaries, drugs, alcohol and/or, mental health challenges.  So the question to be asked is; Are these women as much the victims as they are the criminals?

The Hustler Files Ep. 80 - Are Many Incarcerated Women also the Victims?

Podcasts from all of the local show on WHMP Radio in Northampton, MA. including Talk the Talk with Bill Newman and Buz Eisenberg, The Hustler Files, The Western Mass Business Show, and Panorama.

New tracks tagged #jacking,