Understanding court-involved girls’ pathways has been an important area of inquiry among feminist criminologists, and is especially crucial through an intersectional lens. This research highlights the intersectional identities of youth in the system using qualitative interview data from a Midwestern juvenile court (n = 39). Modified analytic induction was used to develop assertions and examine perceived

Despite the plethora of research on inner-city policing, little is known about how women experience and make sense of involuntary police encounters. Based upon interviews with women who had their homes raided by police in Toronto’s inner-city, this paper explores how these marginalized women perceive, navigate, and resist normative gender expectations in their interactions with police officers during

Domestic violence continues to be a significant and global problem for women and girls (World Health Organization, 2017). This special issue is designed to highlight the excellent recent scholarship on domestic violence, with emphasis on work from the past decade, and to identify the substantial areas in which additional work is needed, especially for BIPOC and trans women as well as gender non-conforming

Recently, Burt expressed concern that in allowing gender to supersede sex, The Equality Act will endanger ciswomen. Gender/sex identities, however, are not as simple as the sexual dimorphic structure Burt introduces. I argue that it is important to validate trans individuals’ identities and give trans women, in particular, access to women’s spaces to reduce the high rates of psychological stress and

Using national survey and interview data from women patrol officers in the United States, we assess whether women are underrepresented in the upper ranks of policing because they are self-selecting out of promotions. With only 42% of the survey sample reporting a desire to promote, we indeed find evidence that many policewomen are either delaying or forgoing promotions. The most common reason given

Literature on unwanted sexual attention in the night-time economy has focused predominantly on patrons and ignores those who are employed in it. This paper draws on participant observations of, and interviews with, 10 current, and 5 former, bartenders’ engagement with unwanted behaviors at a public house. Data gathered will outline the common and infrequent forms of unwanted sexual attention and who

In this study we investigate the intersecting impacts of perpetrators’ gender, sexuality, and age on perceptions of teacher sexual misconduct. When the teacher was a woman, respondents perceived the relationship to be less detrimental to the student, the student to be more mature and responsible, and the relationship as more acceptable. Heterosexual pairings were perceived as more acceptable than same-sex

In this paper, I propose a new theory that ascribes the increasing female crime share to unequal emancipatory advancement between women’s ideological aspirations and institutional means in modern times. Accordingly, it is proposed that an incommensurate pace in progression inflicts gender-specific deprivation on women, which increases their share of crime. The theory is tested with Uniform Crime Reporting

We investigate how welfare reform in the U.S. in the 1990s shaped the age gradient in women’s property crime arrests. Using Federal Bureau of Investigation data, we investigated the age-patterning of effects of welfare reform on women’s arrests for property crime, the type of crime that welfare reform has been shown to affect. We found that welfare reform reduced women’s property crime arrests by about

In this comment, I challenge Burt’s colonial epistemological framework in her theorizations of sex, gender, and transness. Drawing upon anti-racist, decolonial, and trans of color feminisms, I argue that transphobia is inherent to white feminisms due to its roots in colonialism. Heteropatriarchy and cisnormativity are products of colonialism, and feminists who espouse transphobic discourses invariably

There are three reason why I disagree with the author’s premise that 2019 Equality Act disadvantages women by blurring the distinction between sex and gender identity. First, it ignores current legal theory and practice that sex discrimination encompasses gender identity discrimination in federal law; second, it has not made a sufficient case that the Act’s interpretation of sex would harm women; third

Domestic violence is a global phenomenon impacting countless lives. However, most research on the topic is anchored in the Global North. Using South Asia as a case study, we encourage further development of intersectional, comparative research. Such work brings us closer to understanding shared and divergent causes, patterns, and impacts of domestic violence within and across societies. The tendency

The movements for racial justice, health equity, and economic relief have been activated in the contentious and challenging climate of 2020, with COVID-19 and social protest. In this context, feminist scholars, anti-violence advocates, and transformative justice practitioners have renewed their call for substantive changes to all forms of gender-based violence. This article offers a genealogy of the

We focus on the character of adolescent and young adult relationships, and argue that attention to interpersonal features of intimate partner violence (IPV) is necessary for a comprehensive view of this form of violence. Drawing on ideas from feminist post-structural perspectives, we highlight studies that develop a somewhat non-traditional but nevertheless gendered portrait of relationships as a backdrop

This paper shows how theorizing gender as a social system and a situational accomplishment provides a broad perspective that helps to synthesize many strands of theoretical and empirical research on IPV. We first address generalist claims that gendered explanations of IPV are not necessary. We next present a unifying feminist theoretical framework to explain IPV experiences and discuss how this framework

Drawing on findings from a prospective cohort design study that followed abused and neglected children and demographically matched controls into adulthood, this paper focuses on these abused and neglected girls and one important consequence—the extent to which these victims become offenders themselves. We ask four questions: Is criminal behavior among abused and neglected girls and women rare? Are

We consider the broad developments that have occurred over the past decade regarding our knowledge of how neighborhood context impacts intimate partner violence (IPV). Research has broadened the concept of “context” beyond structural features such as economic disadvantage, and extended into relationships among residents, collective “action” behaviors among residents, cultural and gender norms. Additionally

The second wave of the feminist movement brought unprecedented changes in awareness of criminal legal system (CLS) responses to domestic violence (DV). The seemingly feminist “success” in the harsher CLS responses, however, resulted in the disparate criminalization of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) and poor individuals, among both DV defendants and victims. Therefore, feminist support

This review summarizes developments over the past decade in national data sources that can further our understanding of intimate partner and family violence. Particular attention is given to recent improvements in the National Crime Victimization Survey and Uniform Crime Reporting Program’s National Incident-Based Reporting System as well as to features of the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence

Specialized domestic violence courts (DVCs) have been a popular judicial option for processing domestic violence (DV) offenders since the 1990s. While DVCs vary in structure, common core components for programming have emerged across courts in the United States concerning courtroom features and processes. This article reviews the etiology and history of specialty courts for intimate partner violence

Using in-depth interviews with mothers incarcerated in a maximum-security prison, the current study explores incarcerated mothers’ own perceptions and expectations regarding reunification with their families. For many of these mothers, reunification was an exciting prospect, but they recognized that the transition may not be easy for themselves, their children, or their children’s caregivers. Notably

We examine how incarcerated women introduced themselves to a reentry program focused on reuniting them with their children. To communicate maternal worthiness, the women did not discuss their own past mothering but focused instead on their mothers’ mothering and on their future mothering. Our analysis uncovers two forms of identity talk women used to distance themselves from societal presumptions about

This study investigates gendered differences within Latinx experiences using a GST framework. We address four hypotheses: (1) Latinos and Latinas will vary in their degrees of risk for and resilience against criminal behavior; (2) Latinos and Latinas will experience strains to various degrees; (3) Latinos are more likely to respond to strain with violent and serious crime than Latinas due to the types

Despite attempts to rectify the injustices experienced by victims of sexual violence within the criminal justice system, unfounded rates for sexual violence remain high and many victims continue to feel disempowered and voiceless. In this context, police officers wrestle with how to support victims, while protecting those who may be falsely accused and grappling with deeply imbedded cultural beliefs

Intimate femicide perpetrators are rarely studied despite their important role as drivers of violence. This paper analyzes the explanatory narratives of men who intentionally killed their female intimate partners in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Twenty-four interviews were conducted with 12 participants. Data were analyzed using Atlas.Ti and an inductive thematic coding strategy. Two dimensions—frequency

Drawing on qualitative data from focus groups with correctional personnel in one of the nation’s largest women’s prisons, this study examines staff perceptions of how incarcerated women cope with long-term solitary confinement. We find that women’s strong ties to other women and their prison pseudofamilies may influence the behaviors that explain their placement and stays in solitary confinement. We

The overall aim of this study is to fill a knowledge gap regarding misogynistic hate crimes, since only one previous study has focused on victims’ experiences. Drawing from a sample of 1,767 female students, the results show that women with experiences of misogynistic hate crimes are more likely to be subjected to sexual harassment, repeat victimization, and to have been targeted by strangers. They

The current study investigates the impact of trauma exposure on adolescent girls’ and boys’ self-silencing and the impact of self-silencing on and internalizing and externalizing mental health symptoms. Results are informed by data from 206 legal system-involved youth ages 12 to 18 in short-term detention facilities. Hierarchical regression analyses with gender modeled as a moderator revealed that

Since the 1970s, the number of women under correctional supervision has risen drastically. With the increase in women’s system-involvement, it is important to consider the impact that crime-focused labels may have on women’s self-perceptions and reentry. This study applies a feminist lens to labeling theory. Through phenomenological interviews and focus groups with 19 women under community supervision

Prior literature suggests that drug legislation in the late 1970s and 1980s caused the rapid increase in the female incarceration rate. Empirical investigations focused on the female incarceration rate specifically may provide important information to further our understanding of the factors that contributed to this increase. The purpose of this study is to determine how much of the change in the female

This qualitative research investigates the extent to which 401 women under supervision identify employment-related personal projects (i.e., actions taken to achieve abstract goals) as a way to make their lives better. Psychological theory about personal projects and feminist pathways theory guided the analysis. Findings reveal how project meaningfulness, self-efficacy, and social support to carry out

Reflecting on research following formerly incarcerated Massachusetts women for more than a decade, this paper questions whether conventional understandings of recidivism and desistance are meaningful frames for understanding women’s life trajectories. Drawing on our ongoing ethnographic work we argue that conventional measures of recidivism and desistance tend to (1) overstate the significance of distinctions

This study examines the influence of DNA evidence on prosecutorial decisions in sexual assault cases. Thirty-eight prosecutors experienced with prosecuting sexual violence cases were surveyed regarding the use of biological evidence in sexual assault cases, including the ways in which it is generally used, the cases in which it is most critical to have, and factors impacting case attrition. Results

Much of the prior court literature has demonstrated gender and racial disparity exist across various decision-points. Less understood are the processes that produce this disparity, particularly in problem-solving courts. This article utilizes 100 observations of probation review hearings in three domestic violence courts to examine how judges, probation agents, attorneys, and probationers construct

Commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) harms youth around the globe. In the United States, most states manage CSEC victims through the juvenile justice system. Once the youth enter the system, little is known about how being detained for prostitution and solicitation charges impacts them. This study explores how CSEC survivors in Nevada experience detention through a qualitative content

Limited research exists on police officers’ service provision for sexual and domestic violence survivors after they formally report. This study used surveys from 452 commissioned officers at an urban police department in one of the five largest and most diverse U.S. cities to examine police perceptions of victim advocates, self-reported frequency of referral, and predictors of service referral among

Research suggests that gender imbalances in police forces can significantly affect individuals’ experiences when interacting with police. Of importance, yet rarely examined, is the extent to which predominantly male police forces, in conjunction with adherence to gendered departmental policies, can simultaneously send signals of procedural justice and procedural injustice. Drawing on data from 253