{"id":3195,"date":"2023-09-13T14:14:07","date_gmt":"2023-09-13T13:14:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mmuperu.co.uk\/bjcj\/?p=3195"},"modified":"2023-09-13T14:14:07","modified_gmt":"2023-09-13T13:14:07","slug":"overcoming-early-life-trauma-and-prison","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mmuperu.co.uk\/bjcj\/blog\/overcoming-early-life-trauma-and-prison\/","title":{"rendered":"Overcoming Early Life Trauma and Prison"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Published<\/span><\/td>\n14\/09\/2023<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Author(s)<\/td>\nJennifer Nicholls<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

A Series of Voices: Twenty Years on From \u201cMaking Good\u201d – Entry 2<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Throughout my life, even from childhood, I experienced a series of events that fall under the umbrella term of \u2018early life trauma\u2019. This included sexual abuse, ongoing socio-economic disadvantage, chronic health conditions (including mental health), and relationship breakdown, which saw me become a single mother to an 18-month-old and a newborn baby. Although I did not realise it at the time, these and other stressors in my life resulted in me engaging in illicit activities, which saw me sentenced to a period of incarceration of 12 months with a non-parole period of 4 months.<\/p>\n

When I was first sentenced, I was a broken woman, someone in desperate need of help but too afraid and proud to ask. I was in so deep that I felt that there was no way out. Living with the knowledge and guilt of my actions worsened my mental health. On the day I was sentenced to prison, I thought my life was over, that there was no coming back from this. Today, although I still carry a lot of pride and still find it challenging to ask for help, I have learned there is no shame in asking for help when needed, and my time in prison allowed me to find myself again, to find the honest and trustworthy person I used to be. It also afforded me time to reflect on my life choices and removed me from the multiple life stressors I had been experiencing.<\/p>\n

Today I realise that time in prison does not mean that your life is over; yes, it is a traumatic life event and has long-term ramifications on your life. However, that period in my life should not, and does not, define who I am as a person. I only spent 4 months in prison, and the remaining 8 months of my sentence were served on parole in the community; I think this made my reintegration experience less difficult than it can be for those serving longer periods. My success post-release is firmly rooted in the strong support I received from family and friends, who loved me anyway despite being disappointed in me.<\/p>\n

Another contributing factor to my success post-release was finding purpose in my life. After being unable to find employment due to a criminal record, I recalled the words of an educator from the prison who said, \u201cIf you don\u2019t go to university when you get out, I am going to be very disappointed\u201d. While still on parole, I enrolled in university with those words ringing in my ears. That was the beginning of what has been an amazing post-release journey.<\/p>\n

I completed a Bachelor of Criminology and Criminal Justice (with Distinction) in 2017. In 2018 I completed an Honours Degree receiving First Class Honours for my thesis. Today, I am nearing completion of my PhD on\u00a0Women\u2019s Experiences of Health Care Before, During, and After Incarceration in Victoria: Do They Reflect Human Rights and Throughcare Principles Frameworks<\/i>. I was also given an opportunity by the University to become a sessional tutor and course co-ordinator in the Bachelor of Criminology and Criminal Justice. This experience has opened my eyes to the value of lived experience of the criminal justice system and the first-hand knowledge that can be imparted to others.<\/p>\n

I have also been afforded an opportunity to be part of a Lived Experience Advisory Panel for an organisation that provides support to individuals in contact with the criminal justice system, to contribute to a textbook on prison education (publication pending) and to present at conferences. Unlike many others exiting prison, I have been given a second chance at life, and through my research, I hope to bring meaningful change for women experiencing incarceration in Victoria, Australia.<\/p>\n

You can follow Jen’s progress on @jennoN52<\/p>\n

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