The View Magazine’s autumn/winter issue will be released on 10th December 2024, delivering a powerful exploration of how women face systemic injustices and oppression, particularly within the criminal justice system.
This edition highlights the increasing erosion of women’s autonomy by a justice system that disregards their health and circumstances, even amid chronic overcrowding and mounting public scrutiny. In an increasingly securitised world, the failings of the system to protect women are brought to light, both at home and globally.
The issue delves into the state’s inability to provide life-saving healthcare and examines how women are overlooked in conflict zones around the world.
Created by and for women within the justice system, The View pays contributors with lived experience £50 per submission. Furthermore, 2,000 copies of the magazine are distributed free of charge to women’s prisons, detention centres, hostels, secure units, and women’s centres, amplifying voices that often go unheard.
At the heart of this edition is the theme Women Versus the State, examining how the neglect of women’s physical and mental health by the state has devastating consequences. From neglect in healthcare to systemic indifference in conflict zones, the magazine presents hard-hitting narratives and exposes the failure to safeguard women’s lives.
- From the Bench: Farah Damji. One of the key features of this edition focuses on Farah Damji, a woman suffering from stage 3 breast cancer. Despite requiring urgent chemotherapy to improve her survival rate—currently estimated at just 22% over the next five years—Farah has been repeatedly failed by the prison system. Her health continues to decline as she fights a corrupt legal framework to access the treatment she desperately needs. The View Magazine continues to highlight Farah’s harrowing story to ensure others do not endure the same fate.
- Mia Ayton, editor of The View Magazine, interviews Emma Bramley, artistic director of 8 Hours There and Back. Emma explores the devastating impact of parental incarceration on children and explains how her play, co-written with Sarah Hogarth, seeks to drive meaningful change.
- Alex Clarke, Policy Officer at Working Chance, discusses the UK Sentencing Review led by former Justice Minister Rt. Hon. David Gauke, highlighting how harsh sentencing decisions disproportionately affect women’s lives.
- The issue includes ‘Women Behind Bars: Stories of Justice, Trauma, and Hope’, a poignant case study collection featuring raw, personal accounts from incarcerated women, their families, and children. These stories reveal the deep, systemic neglect that shatters lives both inside and beyond prison walls.
- Adalah Khalil, a Palestinian woman, shares a deeply personal account of life in conflict-stricken Palestine and its impact on her community.
- Lawyer Scott Primmer examines the legal implications of “stealthing,” a disturbing practice which one in ten people reportedly do not recognise as a crime.
- Sofia, a woman manipulated by MI5 and later convicted of terrorism offences, recounts how she was exploited by a counter-terrorism officer in prison.
- The Vox Holloway Choir discusses their inspiration behind the Between Bars project, sharing how they represent complex issues surrounding incarceration through music.
With 124 pages of hard-hitting content, The View Magazine brings attention to the profound mental and physical health harms caused by incarceration. It explores how these injustices ripple outwards, affecting families and communities, while showcasing stories of resilience, creativity, and activism.
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