Arlene Dugmore

Arlene Dugmore is a survivor of severe domestic violence who was prosecuted for someone else’s actions and has been incarcerated for 21 years. Since she was 17 years old, Arlene has been forced to navigate ongoing violence by abusive partners because of a lack of options for safe housing for herself and her daughter. Arlene’s abusive husband attacked her physically and emotionally throughout their relationship, including beating her, controlling everywhere she went, preventing her from keeping her job, throwing her out of her own home, threatening to take her child away, and humiliating her through calling her abusive names and assaulting her in public. She was trapped without transportation and without support. She writes that, “The bruises from my abuse came and went, but it's the unseen scars that have caused an extensive inner deprivation that has been the most difficult to heal from.” The one time she built up enough courage to call the police, they provided no assistance, but simply handed her a business card.

Though another person killed Arlene’s husband in response to the abuse, Arlene was held criminally responsible for his death and sentenced to Life Without the Possibility of Parole. Throughout her years of incarceration, Arlene found her own voice as a survivor and participated in groups that provided her with the tools to build herself up. She writes: