Sin by Silence

About the Project

From behind prison walls, Sin By Silence reveals the lives of extraordinary women who advocate for a future free from domestic violence. Inside the California Institution for Women, the first inmate-initiated and led group in the U.S. prison system, shatters the misconceptions of domestic violence. Against the system and against the odds, the women of Convicted Women Against Abuse have risen to expose the stigma of the cycle of domestic violence, reveal the brutal details of violent relationships, explain the lack of options available to women and, most importantly, how domestic violence affects each and every one of us.

Excuses, relationship complexities and the pervasive cultural ideology that private matters should remain private have made domestic violence the number one cause of injury to women today - more than rape, muggings and automobile accidents combined. With unprecedented access inside the California Institution for Women, SIn by Silence offers a unique gateway into the lives of women who are domestic violence's living worst-case scenarios - women who have killed their abusers.

Brenda Clubine endured broken bones. Skull fractures. Her face bruised and battered. By the time Brenda was put behind bars, for killing her husband in 1983, she felt worthless. She received a sentence of 15 years to life. She had to give up her son for adoption. She thought she was the only one in her situation.

But, Brenda soon discovered that she shared common experiences of love turning violent with many of her fellow inmates. After years of meeting on the yard and telling each other their whispered stories, an inmate-initiated and led group was born inside the prison in 1989, called Convicted Women Against Abuse (CWAA).

Brenda's revelation inspired this support group, the first of it's kind in the entire US prison system, to help women inside prison break the silence about abuse and learn more about what they needed to do to help others stop the cycle of violence.

While most of the women in Sin by Silence may remain in prison for the remainder of their lives, their focus is not on their own struggles. These women are committed to helping others understand the reality of domestic violence.

The Sin by Silence outreach team formed partnerships to help ensure the success of connecting the film with a new network of communities, service providers, youth programs and advocates. They have developed materials to help facilitate discussions after each community screening, program or training session. This has encouraged a continued discussion to help facilitate further sessions of how the audience can help make a difference, as well as brainstorm concrete ideas of how they can affect their community and start the discussion to help break the silence that accompanies violence.

The Fledgling Fund Impact

The Fledgling Fund is pleased to provide support for Sin by Silence’s audience engagement campaign. By building relationships with established organizations, the filmmakers connected the film with a new network of communities, service providers, youth programs and advocates. We believe that the film and its campaign developed in collaboration with advocacy organizations can help raise awareness about the brutal details of violent relationships, expose the lack of options available to women for help, encourage concrete discussions about how each viewer can make a difference in his or her community, and help break the silence that accompanies violence.