Susan Atkins
She was transferred to CCWF on September 24, 2008, with a diagnosis of terminal brain cancer. She died at CCWF on September 24, 2009.
History
Founded in 1978, Legal Services for Prisoners with Children (LSPC) has provided significant leadership in challenging the expansion of the prison industrial complex and the concomitant damage that this expansion has wrought on low income communities and communities of color generally, and on women and their children specifically. Prior to that time, very few advocacy organizations worked with women prisoners or incarcerated mothers and their children. In fact, few organizations nationwide dealt with issues affecting prisoners' families.
Since its creation, LSPC has focused on the specific legal and social policy issues affecting incarcerated mothers and their children, parents in prison, and family members caring for the children of incarcerated parents. The organization has a rich history of successful advocacy on behalf of prisoners and their families.
Although structurally small, LSPC is internationally recognized as an advocacy organization which has developed a truly holistic approach to working with incarcerated women and their families. While we participate in the legal arena, we work with our clients to develop their own advocacy skills so that they become leading participants in defining their issues, needs and solutions.