By Rose • 15 years ago

Detroit Native explores women convicts through her grandmother’s eyes

mitchell simms

Mitchell Simms, a Detroit native, has a new book out that attempts to humanize women prisoners through storytelling. Inspired by a story she wrote about women convicts for the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Address: House of Corrections is a book that gives voice to the plight of her own Grandmother:

But what Mitchell Simms didn’t know then and later learned was that her own grandmother had spent three years in prison for forgery. After her release, she began working for Chrysler as an upholstery seamstress.

She now stars in Mitchell Simms’ close-to-home tale of Merry Paine, a 32-year-old ex-con and recovering addict who arrives in Detroit as a girl in 1947, four years after the city’s first riots, goes to prison, then gets out and attempts to re-establish relationships with her mother and daughter.

Although this story is set in the past, it feels especially timely considering that  the Institute on Women and Criminal Justice reports that in 2009 more than 200,000 women were in prison and  jail. Also startling is that the population of women prisoners has increased by more than 800 percent over the past three decades. This increase is 2 times the rate of men.

While her grandmother’s story is especially compelling, it was also powerful to learn that her book is the result of Simms never giving up on her dream to be writer, fending off attempts to steer her towards engineering and other paths. Hers is the story of risk-taking and staying true to self. Women everywhere can learn something from that as they balance the pursuit of  passion with economic security.

I haven’t read the book yet myself, but I think the courage of this sister is refreshing enough to want to check her out and learn more about her project. The novel is self-published and if you are in the Detroit area this Saturday, check her out at 3PM at the Shrine of the Black Madonna at 13535 Livernois.

Read more about Rose

Join the Conversation