Incarcerated women need treatment, not punishment. Stacey Borden knows firsthand
Formerly incarcerated woman sets to provide housing and support in Roxbury for women coming out of the prison system to help them recover from their trauma.
Ysabelle Kempe, Reporter|July 7, 2021
Content warning: The following story briefly recounts experiences involving harm and sexual violence endured by the subject. The editorial staff worked with the author to maintain the integrity of this piece, keeping in mind and supporting survivors.
The door to the house stood wide open. It’s a barn-red Victorian structure, wise with age and situated on a quiet street in Roxbury. The sun-bathed backyard is visible from the wraparound front porch. The ground floor is spacious yet cozy, and a cheerful bouquet of flowers sits on the spotless granite kitchen counter.
In the backyard, a group of women from a local mosque clustered around Stacey Borden.
Borden is a woman who smiles and laughs easily, but that day, she spoke to the group with the poise and gravity of a seasoned business person. She’s 59 years old, with short hair cropped close to her head and dark brown eyes that glow with contagious youthful exuberance. She had on a light collared shirt with understated silver jewelry, and her small, black dog, Spirit, was tucked into a gray sling she wore across her body. The women from the mosque nodded thoughtfully as Borden described what the house will soon be — a place for women just released from prison to recover from their trauma and build a new life.