As eye-opening and funny as it is engrossing and heart-breaking, Jailbirds by Mim Skinner is the first account of the unique world that exists inside a UK high-security women’s prison and the stories of the women imprisoned there.
Did you know …
That only 5% of the UK’s prison residents are women?
46% of women in prison report having attempted suicide once in their lifetime?
48 per cent of women leaving prison are back within a year?
This rises to 61 per cent if the sentence was under 12 months and to 78 per cent for women who’ve been to prison more than 11 times.
More than half the women in prison have been victims of more serious crimes than those they’ve committed?
But this isn’t a book about statistics, it’s a book about the individual stories of women caught up in our creaking and under-resourced prison system. Women who commit crimes in order get a roof over their heads, who star in prison pantomimes and who deal drugs with Apprentice-style entrepreneurship. It’s about those who won their battles with addiction or mental health, and those that didn’t. About those who will never come back to prison, and those for whom it’s the only safe space they’ve ever known.
A wonderful, funny and brave book about resilient people with complicated stories – on both sides of the bars. We hope you will join us, and Mim, Thursday 30th May, here at The Chapel, Corbridge. Doors will be open from 6.30pm for a 7pm start. Tickets are available now at £5.00 which includes welcome drink on arrival.
Ticket bookings are available now from Forum Books, Corbridge, by phone on 01434 632931 or online via our Ticket Source website here.
We hope to see you soon!
