'Still Doing Life' on Exhibit

The Snoqualmie Power House will be pulling double-duty, at least for a few months. The study space will also house a touring exhibit called “Still Doing Life” from now through Dec. 1.

The display is a companion to the book “Still Doing Life, 22 lifers, 25 Years Later” co-authored by Howard Zehr and UW Tacoma Associate Professor Barb Toews. (Listen to an interview with Toews on Paw'd Defiance, the UW Tacoma podcast.) The book is a follow-up to Zehr’s 1996 “Doing Life: Reflections of Men and Women Serving Life Sentences” in which men and women serving life without parole tell their stories.

The exhibit features 22 pairs of portraits taken 25 years apart — mid-1990s and 2017. The images feature some of the same men and women first featured in “Doing Life” and subsequently interviewed for “Still Doing Life.” (The original publication featured more than 60 individuals.) Interview excerpts will also be displayed along with information about restorative justice and the use of life sentences in the United States.

Toews researches restorative justice. “Restorative justice challenges us to critically think about what accountability looks like, including in the face of violence,” said Toews. “How do we do justice in a way that is healing and transformative for all? Research suggests that when we start the justice endeavor with these types of questions, those who caused harm and those they hurt experience a justice that is more holistic, satisfying, and long-lasting compared to the offender-centric and harshly punitive approach inherent in the criminal legal system.”

The display is free and open to the public.

“This exhibit offers a unique opportunity to see and hear directly from those most impacted by sentencing policies and who face a lifetime in prison. In doing so, the exhibit invites us to consider the meaning of life, justice, and second chances in the face of violence as well as our own lives,” said Toews.

The exhibit will also be part of Tacoma’s Third Thursday. During this monthly event, admission to many local museums — such as downtown’s Tacoma Art Museum, the Museum of Glass and the Washington State History Museum — is free or discounted. Toews will be on hand during Third Thursday, on Oct. 19, 5-8 p.m., at the Snoqualmie Power House to talk with people about the exhibit and restorative justice.

Tacoma is just one stop on a national tour for “Still Doing Life.” It opened at the Helm Center for Civic and Cultural Engagement at the Free Library of Philadelphia, and portions of it have also been shown at Bennington College in Vermont and the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City.