The Retrievals, Ep 3: The Sentence

My Reflections on Episode 3

Donna stole fentanyl while suffering from a substance use disorder.

This drug diversion hurt many patients.

The justice system doesn't heal patient harm or the person who caused harm.

The sentencing hearing focuses on Donna's responsibilities to her children and the potential harm to them if she is incarcerated.

This prioritizes a woman who is already a mother over the suffering of women trying to become mothers.

Donna's motherhood is a shield against the justice system's typical sentence (years in prison).

58% of all women in U.S. prisons are mothers

80% of the women who will go to jail are mothers

It is time to re-think how we address serious ethical and societal violations - beyond the systems that already fail us.