Beatrix Gates, a poet who lives in Hancock County and New York City, knows that writing can be an experience filled with discovery and freedom. Among other places she learned this axiom is Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women, a women’s prison in Westchester, N.Y., where two years ago she taught “Imaging Truth, Imagining Justice,” a graduate course in the works of James Baldwin and Virginia Woolf.

“I loved the women I taught,” said Gates, who is currently in residence at Santa Fe Art Institute in New Mexico and is working on the libretto for “The Singing Bridge,” a chamber opera about women and violence in Maine.

“They were terrific students who were extremely interested in the topics. It’s hard to imagine the type of pressure they are under,” said Gates.

“But the women who are in the master’s program at Bedford are women who have found the joys of their minds and the joys of having something of their own.”

Another Bedford Hills writing class that overlapped with Gates’ time at the prison is the focus of a new “P.O.V.” series “What I Want My Words to Do to You,” which airs tonight at 9 on Maine Public Television. Led by playwright and activist Eve Ensler, the workshop and women featured in the 87-minute film are a testament to the power of words and writing to transform, reveal and restore the human heart – even when there is no hope for freedom or forgiveness.

Best known for the Obie Award-winning play “The Vagina Monologues,” Ensler, who has taught at Bedford Hills since 1998, offers a rare look into the lives of 15 women dealing with their crimes and responsibilities while trying to improve their lives. Several of the inmates are high-profile cases, such as Pamela Smart, a New Hampshire teacher who had an affair with a high school student who eventually murdered her husband, and former Weather Underground members Judith Clark and Kathy Boudin, imprisoned for abetting the robbery of an armored car that resulted in three deaths. (Boudin was paroled in September after serving 22 years of her 20-to-life sentence.)

In addition to the women who tell their stories with candor, bravery and remorse, several well-known actors, including Glenn Close, Rosie Perez, Mary Alice, Hazelle Goodmand and Marisa Tomei, give an emotionally charged prison performance of the women’s writing.

But finally, it is the stunning openness of the prisoners themselves that makes this documentary a powerful tool for understanding crime and punishment.

“Our aim is not to have people feel sorry for these women,” said executive producer Judith Katz. “None of those women want anyone to feel sorry for them. Our aim is to have people comprehend their struggle. They created tragedies for many people, but what does it mean to have them hold that within themselves and still figure out how to live their lives in prison? The only way to stop violence in this world is to examine it. Someone said that a society that examines its violence is a society on its way toward healing. I hope some understanding comes from viewing this film.”

For poet Gates, who will view the documentary for the first time tonight, the process of educating people “on the outside” is as important as educating those who are incarcerated.

“The women I taught in Bedford wanted to be useful to society,” said Gates, who has returned to the prison several times to do poetry readings and to attend a graduation. “They really want to contribute. They were very competitive in class and wanted to get straight A’s to prove something to themselves and to other people. I found them strong and amazing and motivated.”

Alicia Anstead can be reached at aanstead@bangordailynews.net.