NCJ Number
129087
Journal
Social Justice Volume: 17 Issue: 3 Dated: (Fall 1990) Pages: 153-166
Date Published
1990
Length
14 pages
Annotation
Based on interviews with 50 black women offenders incarcerated in a city jail and 10 black women in a State prison, this article discusses factors that lead to the victimization and subsequent criminalization of black women in America.
Abstract
The author defines dimension of victimization for this population as patriarchy, family violence, economic marginality, racism, and mis-education, while factors leading to criminalization include structural dislocation, association with deviant and criminal others, processing and labeling as a status offender, and re-creation of familial relationships within the criminal world. Young black girls move from victimization at home to criminalization through their refusal to accept their victimization, usually by running away. The structural dislocation that results stems from the three primary socialization institutions: family, education, and occupation. Crime becomes a rational choice in the face of this dislocation, and drugs are often used as a way of escape. The data collected from the interviews substantiates previous research which suggests a unique process of criminalization for women who are first and foremost victims of class, race, and gender oppression. 43 references