Dying on the Inside: Women Lifers at Muncy Prison

Logan Center
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In State Correctional Institution Muncy in Pennsylvania, roughly 150 women lifers — many of them incarcerated during the height of mass incarceration in the 1980s and 1990s — are now aging behind bars. Nationally, the average age of incarcerated women has risen to 41 and visits to the infirmary have skyrocketed in the past five years, increasing 573%. Chronic illnesses such as diabetes, arthritis, hypertension, and degenerative back issues often begin as early as age 35. By their mid-50s, many incarcerated women are already facing conditions associated with advanced aging.  Prisons like SCI Muncy do not have the capacity to handle the complex needs of seniors. Poor diet, lack of exercise and inadequate healthcare have led to a public health crisis that receives scant attention. Dying on the Inside: Women Lifers at Muncy Prison is a production of Create. Genius. Media and Temple University's Logan Center for Urban Investigative Reporting. Follow us on social media for info about events, issues around mass incarceration and history @dyingontheinsidepodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episodes

  1. 2d ago ·  Bonus

    The History of America's Incarceration of Women

    The United States penitentiary system was born in Philadelphia at Eastern State Penitentiary in 1829 and has since grown to become the largest in the world. More than 900 women were incarcerated at Eastern State over a nearly 100-year period. A panel of prison experts and advocates gathered at the penitentiary, which closed in 1970 and later reopened as a historic site, on May 20, 2026 to discuss the history of women’s incarceration and the impact of the criminal justice system on them today.  Kerry Sautner, the president and chief executive officer of Eastern State, said despite the prison’s early focus on reform and rehabilitation for male prisoners, that concept did not apply to women, who were compelled to do domestic labor. Keisha Hudson, the Chief Defender at the Defender Association of Philadelphia, said the makeup of women who have entered the criminal justice system has remained similar over time, with many experiencing childhood physical or sexual abuse prior to incarceration. Hudson added that there is little emphasis today on reform and rehabilitation for girls and women. Sameerah Shabazz, a political strategist who experienced incarceration as a teenager, said women are judged more harshly for being impacted by the criminal justice system than men. Tonie Willis, the founder and executive director of Ardella’s House, a service and advocacy organization for women and girls with criminal justice histories, said progress on legislation to reform the criminal justice system is slow because politicians do not want to pass too much at once. Dying on the Inside: Women Lifers at Muncy Prison is a production of Create. Genius. Media and Temple University's Logan Center for Urban Investigative Reporting. Follow us on social media for info about events, issues around mass incarceration and history @dyingontheinsidepodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 4m

  2. Jun 2 ·  Bonus

    Women Impacted

    What does it look like to be a woman navigating living behind bars? And what happens when those women rejoin society on the outside? The “Dying On The Inside: Women Lifers at Muncy Prison” team convened a panel to discuss the intersection of incarceration, aging, and health with women directly impacted by the justice system at Temple University’s Randall Theater in Philadelphia on May 13, 2026. The panel, moderated by podcast host Cherri Gregg, featured BL Shirelle, co-Executive Director of FREER Records, the first non-profit record label for currently and formerly incarcerated artists, Sarah Laurel, Executive Director of Savage Sisters, and Marie “Mechie” Scott, a former lifer at State Correctional Institution Muncy who served over 50 years before having her sentence commuted earlier this year.  Dying on the Inside: Women Lifers at Muncy Prison is a production of Create. Genius. Media and Temple University's Logan Center for Urban Investigative Reporting. Follow us on social media for info about events, issues around mass incarceration and history @dyingontheinsidepodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 8m

  3. May 26 ·  Bonus

    Launch Event at WHYY

    The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled in March that mandatory life without parole sentences for second degree murder are unconstitutional. The decision not only impacts those with future sentences but the more than one thousand people serving life sentences for second degree murder across Pennsylvania, many of whom have already spent decades behind bars. The “Dying On The Inside: Women Lifers at Muncy Prison” team convened a panel to discuss the ruling and the themes of the podcast at WHYY’s studios in Philadelphia on April 22, 2026. The panel, moderated by podcast host Cherri Gregg, featured Dannielle Hadley, a former lifer at State Correctional Institution Muncy whose sentence was commuted last year; Rupalee Rashatwar, a staff attorney with the Abolitionist Law Center; Noah Barth, the Prison Monitoring Director for the Pennsylvania Prison Society; and State Representative Andre Carroll, who represents the 201st District in Philadelphia. Dying on the Inside: Women Lifers at Muncy Prison is a production of Create. Genius. Media and Temple University's Logan Center for Urban Investigative Reporting. Follow us on social media for info about events, issues around mass incarceration and history @dyingontheinsidepodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    55 min

  4. May 19

    Hope

    Maria Rodriguez has spent close to 50 years at State Correctional Institution Muncy after being convicted of second-degree murder. Living in the prison’s infirmary, her body is breaking down with a host of ailments, including diabetes, arthritis and a broken back. Cases like Rodriguez’s are leading some officials to rethink how the criminal justice system handles aging prisoners. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled in March that mandatory life-without-parole sentences for second degree murder are unconstitutional, but the court said it’s up to the state legislature to figure out how the ruling will apply retroactively. For other prisoners, their pathways to get out remain limited, as the commutation process is slowed by a large backlog of applications. A bill to expand eligibility for compassionate release passed the state house but has not passed the state senate. While legislative action on mass incarceration stalls, many lifers are getting sick as they wait and age in prison. Dying on the Inside: Women Lifers at Muncy Prison is a production of Create. Genius. Media and Temple University's Logan Center for Urban Investigative Reporting. Follow us on social media for info about events, issues around mass incarceration and history @dyingontheinsidepodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    27 min

  5. May 12

    Freedom

    For women lifers in Pennsylvania, it is nearly impossible to get out of prison. The process of having their sentence commuted is long, political and requires unanimous approval by the Board of Pardons. Only 17 women serving life in Pennsylvania had been granted commutation in the last half-century. Naomi Blount-Wilson, a former lifer at State Correctional Institution Muncy, had her sentence commuted in 2019. She initially used her time to reconnect with her son and sing professionally. Then, she learned she had cancer. For inmates unsuccessful at seeking commutation, their other choice is compassionate release, intended for terminally ill inmates with less than a year to live. Theresa Battles received compassionate release in 2017 after being diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer. Advocates say the limited options for release make the reality of a life sentence “death by incarceration.” Dying on the Inside: Women Lifers at Muncy Prison is a production of Create. Genius. Media and Temple University's Logan Center for Urban Investigative Reporting. Presented by WHYY Follow us on social media for info about events, issues around mass incarceration and history @dyingontheinsidepodcast Check out our stories on WHYY. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    27 min

  6. May 5

    Submerged

    Sheena King, 52, was terrified of dying alone and afraid inside the prison infirmary at State Correctional Muncy. She became a prison hospice volunteer, comforting and helping women in their final stage of life, in hope the same would eventually be done for her. During her 33 years at Muncy, Sheena has dedicated her life to being the support she wishes she’d had before she committed murder at 18 years old. Sheena discusses healing from a lifetime of trauma while serving a life without parole sentence, working in prison hospice, and her new book “Submerged,” a memoir to help others on their own healing journeys inspired by her experiences. At an event for her book launch, recordings of Sheena reading from her book played, and her daughter Keeva King spoke alongside attorney Rupalee Rashatwar about her mother’s condition in prison. Dying on the Inside: Women Lifers at Muncy Prison is a production of Create. Genius. Media and Temple University's Logan Center for Urban Investigative Reporting. Presented by WHYY Follow us on social media for info about events, issues around mass incarceration and history @dyingontheinsidepodcast Check out our stories on WHYY. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    26 min

  7. Apr 28

    Prison Can Break A Body Down

    Cherri Gregg talks to lifers at State Correctional Institution Muncy about the challenges of staying healthy in prison. People like Terri Harper, who has served 35 years, feel like their concerns aren’t taken seriously by the medical system. Terri has had seven surgeries in the last 15 years and has had to wait for long stretches to get the care she’s needed.  Nutrition is also a challenge in prison. There’s a black market for vegetables, and many inmates have to buy from the commissary to get enough to eat. These conditions and lack of preventative care results in many inmates being diagnosed with diseases like cancer at late stages and requiring advanced care. About a quarter of deaths at Muncy between 2000 and 2025 were due to cancer, slightly higher than the national average.  All of this is resulting in more costs being borne by taxpayers. Even though Pennsylvania's prison population has gone down since 2002, the state’s annual healthcare costs have more than doubled, now exceeding $366 million a year. Dying on the Inside: Women Lifers at Muncy Prison is a production of Create. Genius. Media and Temple University's Logan Center for Urban Investigative Reporting. Presented by WHYY Follow us on social media for info about events, issues around mass incarceration and history @dyingontheinsidepodcast Check out our stories on WHYY. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    27 min

  8. Apr 21

    Lock Them Up For Life

    Cherri Gregg and the Logan Center for Urban Investigative Reporting visit State Correctional Institution Muncy, Pennsylvania’s largest women’s prison and home to roughly 150 lifers. As they tour the prison, they witness the challenges of aging while incarcerated. We meet Sylvia Boykin, 68, who has been at SCI Muncy for 33 years. Her body is ravaged by multiple serious illnesses. Advocates call her sentence “death by incarceration” and say our nation’s prisons are turning into nursing homes because of the “tough on crime” policies of the ’80s and ’90s. Prisons across the U.S. are grappling with rising healthcare costs that are passed on to taxpayers, as well as ethical questions about how to care for aging inmates. Dying on the Inside: Women Lifers at Muncy Prison is a production of Create. Genius. Media and Temple University's Logan Center for Urban Investigative Reporting. Presented by WHYY Follow us on social media for info about events, issues around mass incarceration and history @dyingontheinsidepodcast Check out our stories on WHYY. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    26 min

  9. Season 1 Trailer

    Introducing Dying on the Inside: Women Lifers at Muncy Prison

    In State Correctional Institution Muncy in Pennsylvania, roughly 150 women lifers — many of them incarcerated during the height of mass incarceration in the 1980s and 1990s — are now aging behind bars. Nationally, the average age of incarcerated women has risen to 41 and visits to the infirmary have skyrocketed in the past five years, increasing 573%. Chronic illnesses such as diabetes, arthritis, hypertension, and degenerative back issues often begin as early as age 35. By their mid-50s, many incarcerated women are already facing conditions associated with advanced aging.  Prisons like SCI Muncy do not have the capacity to handle the complex needs of seniors. Poor diet, lack of exercise and inadequate healthcare have led to a public health crisis that receives scant attention. Dying on the Inside: Women Lifers at Muncy Prison is a production of Create. Genius. Media and Temple University's Logan Center for Urban Investigative Reporting. Presented by WHYY Follow us on social media for info about events, issues around mass incarceration and history @dyingontheinsidepodcast Check out our stories on WHYY. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    2 min

Trailer

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In State Correctional Institution Muncy in Pennsylvania, roughly 150 women lifers — many of them incarcerated during the height of mass incarceration in the 1980s and 1990s — are now aging behind bars. Nationally, the average age of incarcerated women has risen to 41 and visits to the infirmary have skyrocketed in the past five years, increasing 573%. Chronic illnesses such as diabetes, arthritis, hypertension, and degenerative back issues often begin as early as age 35. By their mid-50s, many incarcerated women are already facing conditions associated with advanced aging.  Prisons like SCI Muncy do not have the capacity to handle the complex needs of seniors. Poor diet, lack of exercise and inadequate healthcare have led to a public health crisis that receives scant attention. Dying on the Inside: Women Lifers at Muncy Prison is a production of Create. Genius. Media and Temple University's Logan Center for Urban Investigative Reporting. Follow us on social media for info about events, issues around mass incarceration and history @dyingontheinsidepodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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