If we’re talking about the fight for incarcerated women, then the name Andrea James should be on everyone’s lips.
Pulling from her own past, James has dedicated her life to freeing all women from behind bars. And she’s willing to go all out to make that happen.
We spoke with Andrea James recently about her work with the National Council, her FreeHer campaign, abolishing prisons, her opinion on the Biden administration, the business of cannabis, and more.
Here are 6 things we took from our conversation with Andrea James.
I Object!
James is a former criminal defense attorney. Working in law and assisting families of those affected by the drug war is a big part of what she does today.
Behind Bars
When it comes to understanding the plight of women behind bars, Andrea James has a unique perspective. She lived it. It was not too long ago that she would find herself standing in front of a judge.
She found herself behind bars after she was charged with transgression, a real estate conveyance transgression out of my law practice that happened back in 2006.
That result was being sent to prison for two years. I served a two-year federal prison sentence starting in 2010.
Veterans Of The War On Drugs Still Missing In Action
When we discuss the War on Drugs, what often gets lost in the conversation is the number of women locked up. Many of those women are mothers. The effect of women being placed in prison, especially women of color creates a huge debt in communities.
It’s Just A Plant
When discussing the war on drugs, we also took a dive into the legal cannabis industry. James is not fond of the way businesses are profiting off a plant that at one-time put people behind bars.
We Need More. Way More Joe
She didn’t mince words when discussing her feelings on Joe Biden and his first term as President.
Working with former President Barack Obama, James expected his former Vice President to follow suit. “We were responsible for helping 50 of the 102 women who were commuted,” said Andrea when speaking about working with the Obama administration.
She hasn’t found the same success with President Biden.
“We expected that President Biden would stay true to the voting rights promises he made, which are being enacted right now as we speak, the criminal justice reform that was part of his platform.
We haven’t seen any of these things.”
We Will #FreeHer
While her goal is to get 100 women free from incarceration, her #FreeHer campaign is bigger than that.
The “Free Her” campaign is a national campaign to close women’s jails and prisons and to reallocate that funding into the lives of women most directly affected by the prison system and their communities.