Desisting Sisters: Gender, Power and Desistance in the Criminal (In)Justice System

Description

This book provides an important, critical, feminist perspective on desistance theory and practice. It is built around 23 original, narrative interviews with women and the staff of the community projects they attended, as well as a year of observations at Northshire Women’s Centres. The book is concerned with outlining a feminist approach to desistance which recognises that the majority of women in the criminal justice system come from backgrounds of abuse, economic disadvantage and have alcohol, drug and mental health issues. The book is also be concerned with challenging the dichotomy of narratives of victimisation and survival while recognising that women have agency. In doing so, Desisting Sisters contests the neoliberal and patriarchal approach to desistance which promotes women's role as care givers and unpaid volunteer workers. Ultimately, Barr contends that women's desistance can resist neo-liberal, patriarchal constructs, much in the same way that feminist criminology has contended that women's offending more generally, often does. This book will be of particular use and interest to those studying modules on both traditional and critical criminology, criminal justice, psychology, sociology and social work courses. Front Matter ....Pages i-x Defining Desistance (Úna Barr)....Pages 1-24 Explaining Desistance: Traditional Perspectives (Úna Barr)....Pages 25-53 A Case of Growing Up? A Feminist Critique of Maturational Theory (Úna Barr)....Pages 55-70 ‘A Good Job and the Love of a Good Woman’: A Feminist Critique of Social Bonds Theory (Úna Barr)....Pages 71-111 All in the Head? A Feminist Critique of Subjective Theory (Úna Barr)....Pages 113-156 (In)Justice Systems (Úna Barr)....Pages 157-188 Making the Invisible Visible (Úna Barr)....Pages 189-211 Conclusion (Úna Barr)....Pages 213-230 Back Matter ....Pages 231-270