'I’m not free until they’re free' A decade ago, Stacey Borden made a promise...

Brockton woman wants to unlock the potential in fellow female former inmates.

By Mina Corpuz The Enterprise

She is prepared for women who might be angry or act out because they are hurt. That’s what hurt people do, Borden said.

Addressing trauma is a main goal at New Beginnings because it is often a reason why women are in jail in the first place, she said.

A policy brief from the U.S. Department of Justice found that women in prison have reported a greater incidence of mental health problems, substance dependence and past physical and sexual abuse.

In the courtroom, judges usually don’t ask the person what their story is or why they did what they are accused of doing. If they did, Borden said they would get a sense of the trauma that women have gone through.

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BROCKTON — A decade ago, Stacey Borden made a promise to the women she met at MCI-Framingham to help them and other women transitioning from jail back into society.

The incarcerated women gave her purpose and led her into advocacy work, like providing treatment and mental health services focused on trauma to women after prison. She is doing this through the nonprofit she founded, New Beginnings Reentry Services.

“Every woman deserves services and to have a safe living environment,” said Borden, 59, of Brockton.

She is developing a home in Dorchester that will serve as a residential treatment center for 15 women. Borden grew up in Dorchester and Roxbury.

It will be called Kimya’s House after Kimya Foust, who Borden met in prison. Foust, who was sexually assaulted as a child, was sentenced to 20 years for stabbing a man who attempted to rape her when she was an adult, Borden said. Read More HERE