I picked up the CW Monday morning in anticipation of the Tutwiler Women’s Prison review only to be profoundly disappointed. Not only was Stephen Dethrage’s article insensitive and demeaning, it included completely fictitious claims about the conditions for the inmates and failed to accurately address many of the underlying problems.

Advocacy for incarcerated women is rare and many argue there is no necessity for reform. To those who claim the women are “there for a reason” and should not receive any special treatment, I ask that they look deeper. While I’m in full agreement that those imprisoned are there because they’ve broken the law, I disagree that this justifies inhumane treatment and living conditions. It is a little known fact that 70 percent of women incarcerated in Alabama are non-violent offenders, not the hardened criminals we envision. In fact, as I was leaving, a woman hurriedly explained she was there for writing bad checks to our very own Supe Store.

Often, especially as privileged college students, we act under the assumption that ‘it couldn’t happen to me.” I urge you all to abandon such notions and join me in questioning “what if?” What if you made a mistake and found yourself in a prison with an occupancy rate over 170 percent? What if you had a mental health disorder while imprisoned and were punished by having your bed taken away? What if you were pregnant during your prison term and didn’t receive any pre- or post-natal care? Or what if you had no means to pay for training and education while imprisoned to help you get a job and prevent a second offence?

For the women in Tutwiler and many other prisons, this is a stark reality. I encourage everyone to look beyond the offence and remember the wives, mothers and daughters behind them.

Sam Silor is a senior majoring in psychology.