Once a month, Sharon Kirkpatrick and Sharon Bruner-Rowe step foot into the Washington Corrections Center for Women to lead a support group that is part of the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs Women Veterans Advisory Committee’s outreach efforts.
The group of incarcerated veteran women are invited through the facility “callout” to participate in a “veterans outreach session.”
Kirkpatrick said asking the question “Did you serve?” is often the best way to determine if someone may have VA benefits and opportunities they did not know about.
“Many women who served think being a veteran is defined as 20 years and retirement in the Armed Forces. Not so,” she said.
This is what starts the conversation, led by Kirkpatrick and Bruner-Roweat, at the Washington Corrections Center for Women (WCCW) among a group of 12 to 15 incarcerated women.
Known as “The Sharons,” the two leaders are members of the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs Women Veterans Advisory Committee. The WCCW support group is part of the committee’s outreach efforts to reach all women veterans in Washington State.
Under the leadership of committee chair, Shellie Willis, support from American Legion Post 204 Commander Carrol Stripling and Department of Corrections liaison, Derik Roberson, The Sharons have been able to identify and serve more than 300 women in upwards of 10 years.
At the monthly group meeting at WCCW, the women are introduced to resources that are veteran-based, such as benefits for injuries occurring while in service, mental and physical health resources, employment and training, education, housing and service organization membership.
“Over the years, a few women have been ashamed, uncertain, or unsure if they should attend, but we encourage their participation,” Kirkpatrick said. “I tell them, ‘You signed a contract; you joined with good faith to serve your country, and that is what we call a veteran.’”
When The Sharons initially get a woman into the group, Kirkpatrick said automatically there are tears, because the two women are the first ones to say, “Thank you for your service. You were a veteran before you were an inmate.”
“No one has ever said that to them,” Kirkpatrick said, adding that she has spent decades volunteering and teaching in women’s prisons and had a passion for the incarcerated population that quickly spread to establish a group inside the state’s two women’s prisons.
Each month, the group has a topic of interest, which ranges from anything from military sexual trauma to nontraditional career paths.
Lacking funding, the program still does not have a formal tracking system to monitor its successes, but, anecdotally, Kirkpatrick said the recidivism rate is zero percent, saying the women who have been able to access their benefits have had a successful transition and are moving on with rebuilding their lives.
“They do not re-offend and end up back in the system, so many success stories exist,” she said. “Due to the shame and stigma associated with justice involvement, it is often challenging to get incarcerated veterans to identify as veterans. Although this is true for many in the justice system, it seems more common with women than men.”
Kirkpatrick believes women veterans can gain a sense of self-worth and service through the program.
“We work to maximize visibility through the distribution of an in-prison newsletter when possible and talking to as many incarcerated women as possible,” she said. “But growing more visibility about the program outside the facilities might help.”
Kirkpatrick said she has seen fellow American Legion members grow more vocally supportive of justice-involved women veterans.
“In fact, the all-women American Legion Post 204 agreed to sponsor membership for the incarcerated women in the program, providing them access to benefits assistance and a national and local veterans’ network,” she said. “I am hopeful that with increased attention, justice-involved women veterans may find it easier to be proud of their veteran status and re-enter society with their heads held high.”
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