Women Rising: How Canadian Women Are Breaking Free from Criminal Pasts and Building a Better Future

“Put them in jail and throw away the keys.” That’s how many Canadians feel about their fellow citizens convicted of crimes. But that’s not how all Canadians feel. This eye-opening and inspiring book shows how one organization, Prison Fellowship Canada, is helping women prisoners in particular to keep their families together while they are incarcerated and to build better lives once they’re out. Several women describe in riveting and heart-wrenching detail their violent pasts and subsequent incarceration. They describe how they've broken free from their criminal pasts, reintegrated themselves into society, and even helped other women avoid going down the path that took them to prison.

Eleanor Clitheroe is a former businesswoman who is now curate of St. Cuthbert’s Anglican Church in Oakville, Ontario, and the executive director of Prison Fellowship Canada. She has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in law from the University of Western Ontario and Mc Gill University, respectively, an MBA from the University of Western Ontario, and a Master of Divinity degree from Wycliffe College, University of Toronto.