Crafting at Folsom Women's Facility

moms reuniting with children at FWF

I taught a craft class to the women inmates at the Folsom Women's Facility last Saturday.  I didn't know what to expect but I was hopeful that I could bring something to their club.  FWF is a minimum security prison and only the best behaved women (or luckiest) are located here.  And only the best of them are allowed to take part in the craft club.
What impressed me most was the respectful and enthusiastic attitude of the women.  Because the craft club is considered a privilege and they only have a limited amount of time for this weekly activity, they take their time seriously.  We entered the classroom and they immediately set up the folding tables and set up their work station.  One woman was in charge of inventory and handing out supplies and this was done with great courtesy and order.

I explained my two projects in the first hour.  I started with the tissue paper pom poms which they carefully constructed.  One made a huge pom pom in orange and red tissue paper which was going to be used as the "fire" for their "fireplace" in their pod (pods reminded me of the common areas of a dorm).  Most of the women were working on projects for decorating their pods and the pod deemed the "best decorated" by the warden will be awarded the largest Christmas tree.  I think there were 6 pods in total?  I had a tour of the facility after class but to be honest, I was a little overwhelmed that I didn't take in all the details.
The second project involved folding a square piece of paper and folding it into  a triangle, 3 times.  I cut the folded triangle, held it up, unfolded it to reveal a star and I got an enthusiastic "whoa!"  That made me feel great!  I showed  other patterns and they tried them with success.  In the second hour, they continued with their ongoing projects for decorating their pods.  I walked around, helped a few with the projects and chatted about their decorations.  Some definitely had a great eye for using pleasing color combinations.
After the allotted time, they once again, worked to clean up efficiently, put away all the folding tables, accounted for every bit of material (scissors, glue sticks, glitter) and seemed very appreciative.
I don't want to romanticize the prison system but my first impression was that FWF seemed more like a Harry Potter dorm (neat, seemingly convivial, communal) than an Orange is the New Black prison.

I mentioned to the administrator that I can't believe how polite everybody is.  She responded, "oh, you've been to other prisons?"  And I said  "No!  These women are more polite than people outside of prison, the general public!"