What I want my words to do to you

Essay by mailen31High School, 12th gradeA, January 2014

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Crisis Intervention

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WHAT I WANT MY WORDS TO DO TO YOU

What I Want My Words To Do To You, offers an extraordinary look into the minds and hearts of the women inmates of New York's Bedford Hills Correctional Facility. The film goes inside a writing workshop led by playwright and activist Eve Ensler, involving 15 women, most of whom were convicted of murder. Through a series of exercises and discussions, the women examine their pasts and explore the nature of their crimes and the extent of their own liability. The film finishes in an emotionally stimulating prison performance of the women's writing by acclaimed actors Mary Alice, Glenn Close, Hazelle Goodman, Rosie Perez and Marisa Tomei.

Participants in What I Want My Words To Do To You include:

•Pamela Smart, who agonizes over the affair she had with a high school student who eventually murdered her husband.

• Judith Clark and Kathy Boudin, imprisoned since 1981 for their participation in the robbery of an armored car in Nyack, New York that resulted in the deaths of three men.

•Betty Harris admits to killing her mother after enduring years of abuse.

•Keila Pulinario, convicted of murdering a man she had accused of raping her.

•Donna Hylton, a former track star convicted of murder

•Monica Szlekovics, mid-20's, who tries, through her writing, to convey to her mother that, with a sentence of 50-to-life, there's a strong chance she will never leave prison.

•Roslyn Smith, late 30's, convicted of murder at 17, who writes about the surprising outburst by a man who visited her in the honor housing unit to learn about Bedford's guide-dog training program.

•Cynthia Berry, ex-drug addict and former prostitute who murdered 71-year-old "john."

Watching the film I feel repentance for the woman and their stories...