04/10/2026
â¨Join us for an unflinching conversation led by women who have lived through Marylandâs carceral system and emerged not broken, but fighting. For many women, release from incarceration is not the end of the story. It is the beginning of a new set of challenges: finding stable housing, securing employment, reconnecting with children and family, accessing health care, and navigating systems that often continue to define them by their record rather than their humanity. This session will center the voices of formerly incarcerated women who have lived these realities. Through personal reflection, honest dialogue, and practical insight, the conversation will explore what reentry looks like for women. Participants will hear about: the realities of reentry for women in Maryland, barriers related to employment, housing, parenting, and health the role of stigma, trauma, and gender in shaping womenâs post-incarceration experiences the importance of lived experience in policy and advocacy work: Who should attend: Advocates, educators, policymakers, community leaders, students, and readers and writers interested in story, justice, and healing.
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đ TO REGISTER PLEASE VISIT THE LINK IN OUR BIO â
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Kirsten Gettys Downs is the Director of Systemic Reform at the Maryland Office of the Public Defender and the Coordinator of the Maryland Justice Partnership, leading statewide efforts to advance equitable justice. A former district public defender and nonprofit executive, she brings deep experience in advocacy, collaboration, and transforming systems to center community needs.
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Monica Cooper is the founder and Executive Director of the Maryland Justice Project and a member of the Maryland Democratic State Central Committee.
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Rhonda R. Hall is a Baltimore-born healthcare professional, Patient Access Coordinator at the University of Maryland Medical System, and author of Crowned in the Streets.
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Iletha Murdaugh is a survivor, peer recovery specialist in training, and reentry advocate who spent 17½ years at the Maryland Correctional Institution for Women.