¹ú²úÊÓƵ

What happens when the legal system punishes those it purports to protect?

When award-winning journalist Justine van der Leun began researching the issue of criminalized survival, she was astonished to see women being imprisoned for protecting themselves against abuse. This sparked an intensive, years-long investigation, leading her to collect more than a thousand personal accounts from women’s prisons across America.

In , van der Leun follows three women who, caught in the direst circumstances, had to kill to survive: Tanisha, a spirited Michigan mother determined to help authorities solve a cold case. Jema, a softhearted Missouri factory worker struggling to keep her family together while navigating a dangerous relationship. And TC, a bold Californian trying to escape generations of trauma and a toxic family environment. 

Drawing on seven years of unprecedented research and on-the-ground reporting in U.S. prisons, Unreasonable Women is the story of women and violence in America and how survivors are targeted for prosecution.

Join the ¹ú²úÊÓƵ Fellows Program for a conversation about Unreasonable Women.

Copies of Unreasonable Women are available for purchase through Solid State Books.

Editorial disclosure: The views expressed in this book and event are solely those of the author and speakers. They do not reflect the views of ¹ú²úÊÓƵ, its staff, fellows, funders, or board of directors