Women, Sex Trafficking, and the Justice System

Author(s):  
Thema Bryant-Davis ◽  
Tyonna Adams ◽  
Anthea Gray

This chapter discusses the experiences of women and girl survivors of sex trafficking in the United States. It highlights the risk factors that make women and girls vulnerable to sex traffickers and victimization, examines the impact of sex trafficking on women’s and girls’ health, and describes the circumstances that lead to their forced involvement in the sex trade and their contact with the justice system. Gender, class, and racial stereotypes are barriers that prevent trafficking survivors from obtaining legal protection. Other barriers include fear of violence, lack of awareness of resources, and fear of deportation. When seeking legal help, trafficking survivors often experience revictimization and are treated as criminals. Lastly, this chapter identifies the need for more research on survivors of sex trafficking, highlights promising legal and mental health interventions, and proposes guidelines for greater gender and cultural responsiveness in programming.

SAGE Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 215824402093359
Author(s):  
Alison Tran ◽  
Robert Rosales ◽  
Lynn Copes

Although 90% of women between the ages of 18 and 29 report using makeup, research on the motivation and effects of makeup use on self-esteem is lacking. The purposes of this qualitative study is to (1) understand the effects of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation to use makeup on self-esteem, (2) explore whether makeup use may serve as a buffer for low self-esteem, and (3) explore the impact of sociocultural scripts and hegemonic beauty on self-esteem in ethnoracially diverse YouTube beauty influencers. Jacobsen’s Aesthetics of Psychology framework was used to classify narratives of nine female beauty influencers aged between 21 and 40 years from the United States and Great Britain, who self-identified as Black, Hispanic, and White. Makeup use may have a more direct effect on self-esteem if internally motivated and viewed as a mechanism for creativity, mastery, agency, and human connection. Likewise, makeup use may indirectly buffer low mood/self-esteem for those who are externally motivated to use makeup in order to avoid guilt, enhance ego, and promote audience confidence. Results elucidate the importance of motivation to use makeup and its implications for positive mood regulation/enhanced self-esteem through the development of mental health interventions involving makeup application. Findings illuminate the experiences of women in media and public domains and are particularly salient for women of color who may be more extrinsically motivated to use makeup due to hegemonic beauty standards, as Black beauty influencers reported industry disparities in pay/salary, sponsorships, and subscriber count compared with young, White influencers.


Author(s):  
John Kenneth Galbraith ◽  
James K. Galbraith

This chapter examines the impact of the Federal Reserve System on money and banking in the United States. The Federal Reserve System was created in 1913 by virtue of the Federal Reserve Act passed by Congress and signed by President Woodrow Wilson. The Federal Reserve Act (1913) provided not for one but for as many as twelve central banks. It was conceived as an answer to the great panics, but in this respect the System was notably defective. Nor was the System better as an antidote for an alarming epidemic of bank failures. Furthermore, the most severe inflation ever in peacetime occurred under its watch. The chapter considers the successes and failures of the Federal Reserve System and looks at another body established to study the management of money in the United States: the National Monetary Commission.


Author(s):  
Syeda Tonima Hadi ◽  
Meda Chesney-Lind

Global-level data suggests that the number of women and girls in prison is growing and at a faster rate than the male prison population is. In order to meaningfully address this shift in female deviance and criminalization, more attention should be given on the specific ways that women and girls are labeled “deviants” and subsequently criminalized. Women and girls have been criminalized, imprisoned, and harshly punished for “moral” offenses such as adultery or premarital sex or for violations of dress codes or even for being a member of the LGBTQ community. Women and girls have also been reportedly been imprisoned for running away from their homes (often from abusive situations), for being raped, and even for being forced into prostitution. Furthermore, victims of domestic violence or sex trafficking and sex workers have been administratively detained or simply detained for seeking asylum, having committed no crime. The feminist criminological perspective has widened an understanding of all forms of female deviance. This perspective stresses the importance of contextual analysis and of incorporating unique experiences of women and girls at the intersection of not only gender, race, class, and ethnicity but also nationality, religion, sexual orientation, political affiliation, and immigration or migration status, and against the backdrop of national as well as international conflict. Now the challenge is develop effective solutions both to address female victimization and to end the silencing of women and girls through criminalization on a global level. Effective implementation of a gender-mainstreaming strategy, adopted in United Nations policies such as “the Bangkok Rules,” is one of the proposed solutions.


2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (04) ◽  
pp. 541-568 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannah L. Walker ◽  
Marcela García-Castañon

This paper examines the political implications of the criminal justice system for those who experience it indirectly: the friends and extended families of individuals who become caught up in the criminal justice system through heightened police surveillance, arrest, probation/parole and incarceration, which scholars have termed “custodial citizenship” (Lerman and Weaver 2014, 8). Contact with the criminal justice system is increasingly common in the United States, which incarcerates more of its citizens than any other western democracy (West, Sabol, and Greenman 2010). In addition to the 2.3 million people currently behind bars scholars estimate that more than 19 million have a felony (Uggen, Manza, and Thompson 2006). Fully 23% of Black adults have a criminal background, and Latinos make up 50% of federal inmates, highlighting extreme racial disparities in American criminal justice (Meissner et al. 2013). A growing body of research explores the impact of criminal justice contact on political participation finding that depressed voter turnout is the result whether one has been incarcerated, arrested, or lives in a high-contact community (Burch 2011, 2013; Lerman and Weaver 2014).


Author(s):  
John G Morrissey ◽  
◽  
James Havey ◽  
Glenn M Miles ◽  
Nhanh Channtha ◽  
...  

This research from the Butterfly Longitudinal Research Project focused on understanding the experiences and perceptions of justice and the justice system for 93 Cambodia participants (including 88 survivors of sex trafficking) as they navigated the legal system. Thirty-two of these survivors had experiences in court and provided details into their courtroom experiences, predominantly within Cambodia but also in the United States. The survivors’ experiences were diverse; however, the prevailing themes were: fear throughout their legal journeys; a low level of awareness and understanding of their legal experiences; and that NGO support was essential for these survivors to engage in the often complicated, lengthy and emotionally challenging legal processes. The recommendations generated from the results at the individual survivor level included: encouraging active participation to make informed decisions on their legal journey; survivors need compassionate support from all stakeholders throughout their legal journey; questioning needs to be appropriate, sensitive and age appropriate; and survivor safety needs to be central both in the courtroom and in the community, as perpetrators and their associates may be threatening. At a wider, societal level, the legal system should be accessible and encourage victim participation. Further, the outcomes of court should be adequate for survivors, in that they provide justice, restitution and deter future crimes; trust in the legal system needs to be developed; information and education about the legal system and legal rights should be promoted; and protection for survivors must be enhanced.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 86-94 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cassia Spohn

One of the goals of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women is to end violence against women and girls in all countries. An important component of this goal is ensuring that all crimes of violence against women and girls are taken seriously by the criminal justice system and that police, prosecutors, judges and jurors respond appropriately. However, research detailing how cases of sexual assault proceed in the criminal justice system reveals that this goal remains elusive, both in the United States and elsewhere. The rape reform movement ushered in changes to traditional rape law that were designed to encourage victims to report to the police and to remove barriers to arrest and successful prosecution. However, four decades after this reform, victims are still reluctant to report sexual assaults to the police, and arrest, prosecution and conviction rates for sexual assault cases are shockingly low. Reversing these trends will require policy changes that are designed to counteract the stereotypes and myths underpinning sexual assault and sexual assault victims.


Author(s):  
Julie R. Ancis ◽  
Corinne C. Datchi

This chapter identifies the core themes that cut across the chapters of the book. Specifically, it discusses the relationship between systemic processes and women’s and girls’ entanglement with the justice system. It also calls attention to the compounding effect of institutional discrimination on the concerns of justice-involved women and girls. Lastly, it highlights the need for more interdisciplinary research, multicultural training, and evidence-based gender- and culturally responsive legal interventions in all arenas of the justice system.


Author(s):  
Larry Nackerud

This chapter addresses how structuralism can be a useful lens through which to view social issues and specifically, for viewing neoliberalism in the United States and its seeming natural predecessors, privatization and deregulation. Such efforts within the criminal justice system may present as, for example, private prison industry and mass incarceration. There are three goals of this chapter: (a) to convince the reader of the value of structural theory as a means of examining helping systems, (b) to convince the reader to be wary of neoliberal prescriptive practices, and (c) to suggest to the reader a consideration for how social work can affect criminal justice reform from the macro social work perspective. With regard to the latter, this chapter also addresses the role of radical social work and critical criminology.


Author(s):  
Jordan C. Pickering

PurposeThroughout the last decade, a number of empirical studies have assessed the effectiveness of body-worn cameras (BWCs) among law enforcement agencies across the United States. The purpose of this paper is to examine officers' perceptions regarding the impact this technology has had on police-community relations, as well as the working relationship between police and other actors in the criminal justice system (e.g. prosecutors, jurors).Design/methodology/approachThe author conducted focus groups with officers (n = 89) from two local law enforcement agencies in California that had adopted BWCs in recent years. Participating officers discussed advantages and disadvantages they associated with BWCs, as well as how BWCs have impacted their relationship with the public and justice system personnel.FindingsOfficers recognized advantages to using BWCs, including the potential for positive changes in police behavior and the ability to protect officers against false citizen complaints. Officers also identified a number of disadvantages (or consequences) they associate with BWCs, such as the depreciation of credibility behind an officer's word and the impact of video footage on prosecutorial decision-making.Originality/valuePrior studies have gathered officers' perceptions regarding BWCs, but very few have assessed whether and how the use of this technology by law enforcement influences other actors within the criminal justice system. The findings from this study may prompt further empirical consideration regarding BWCs, especially with regard to whether police use of this technology significantly impacts citizens' trust in the police and how their use may impact prosecutorial and juror decision-making.


2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (8) ◽  
pp. 1056-1060 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Saleemi ◽  
Steven J Pennybaker ◽  
Missi Wooldridge ◽  
Matthew W Johnson

Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), often sold as ‘Ecstasy’ or ‘Molly’, is commonly used at music festivals and reported to be responsible for an increase in deaths over the last decade. Ecstasy is often adulterated and contains compounds that increase morbidity and mortality. While users and clinicians commonly assume that products sold as Molly are less-adulterated MDMA products, this has not been tested. Additionally, while pill-testing services are sometimes available at raves, the assumption that these services decrease risky drug use has not been studied. This study analyzed data collected by the pill-testing organization, DanceSafe, from events across the United States from 2010 to 2015. Colorimetric reagent assays identified MDMA in only 60% of the 529 samples collected. No significant difference in the percentage of samples testing positive for MDMA was determined between Ecstasy and Molly. Individuals were significantly less likely to report intent to use a product if testing did not identify MDMA (relative risk (RR) = 0.56, p = 0.01). Results suggest that Molly is not a less-adulterated substance, and that pill-testing services are a legitimate harm-reduction service that decreases intent to consume potentially dangerous substances and may warrant consideration by legislators for legal protection. Future research should further examine the direct effects of pill-testing services and include more extensive pill-testing methods.


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