Rhea Mallett interview, part 2, 2022-09-09

This is a continuation of Rhea Mallett's oral history interview conducted by Obden Mondesir on September 9th, 2022. Rhea is the former director of the New York Correctional Association’s Women in Prison Project. In this role, she oversaw the creation of the Coalition for Women Prisoners. Rhea begins this interview by recounting her experience working with Judge Jack Weinstein to raise awareness about how women are uniquely impacted by incarceration. Rhea discusses the context of the time when she began working at the Women in Prison Project, with women being incarcerated at exponentially high levels and an exploding level of prison expansion. Next, Rhea shares about the history of the Correctional Association and its role in the criminal justice reform movement. She goes into more depth about the creation of the Coalition for Women Prisoners and reflects on the Coalition’s main objectives and accomplishments. Rhea then discusses the Women in Prison Project’s funding cut which forced her to resign from the project. Finally, Rhea reflects on how she understands the ongoing legacy of the CWP.