10 Things You Can Do To Help

1. Write letters to the governor: Tell Governor Schwarzenegger to grant clemency requests and parole to incarcerated survivors of domestic violence. He can be reached at:

Legal Affairs Unit
Office of the Governor
State Capitol Building
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: 916-445-0873
Fax: 916-445-4633
governor@governor.ca.gov

2. Become involved with the work of Free Battered Women or other advocacy groups: Join our listserve by following the instructions on our home page. Your tax-deductible contributions make a big difference in helping our efforts! You can make an on-line donation by clicking on the "Donate Now" button to the left. Checks may also be mailed to us at the address on the bottom of the screen.

3. Write letters to your senators/ congresspeople: Encourage them to sponsor and support legislation that acknowledges the special circumstances faced by incarcerated survivors of domestic violence. If she or he has sponsored such legislation in the past, write a thank you letter to them.

4. Write Op-Eds and letters to the editor: Help inform people by writing to your local newspapers. When you see an article in a newspaper that covers domestic violence and/or prison issues, write to the reporter and encourage him or her to do more stories on the issue.

5. Write letters to media outlets when they feature shows that promote violence against women: Let them know you will not watch their shows nor read their magazines when they promote violence against women.

6. Educate yourself and others on the issues: Read the information on this website and others listed as links. Talk to your friends, family, co-workers, etc. about these issues and distribute educational materials to your community.

7. Become a pen pal with women prisoners: Once locked up, incarcerated survivors of domestic violence are physically and emotionally isolated. They need our support. See the Survivors Speak section for more information about corresponding with women in prison in California.

8. Send money and supplies to prisoners: Prison laborers literally make pennies per hour, making it difficult to purchase stamps, books, and other basic supplies. Donate books to replenish the prison law libraries, which often contain only old materials that are out-of-date. You may contact the prisons directly to find out their needs. The following are the main lines at the three biggest women's prisons in California: CCWF (in Chowchilla)(559) 665-5531; VSPW (also in Chowchilla) (559) 665-6100; CIW (near Los Angeles)(909) 597-1771.

9. Go on prison visits: Contact your local community group that visits the prisons. For visits to California women's prisons, contact us.

10. Bring cases to the attention of private attorneys: There's a tremendous need for individual legal representation at all levels, from appeals to parole hearings to filing writs of habeas. Without a pro bono attorney, most women inside do not get the justice they deserve.