Out of sight, out of compliance: US detained girls’ health justice

A Mixed-Methods Process Evaluation of the Art of Yoga Project for Girls in Custody

“…This is particularly encouraging, given the environments from which these girls have come and the fact that they were in custody at the time of the intervention. Furthermore, that between 70% and 90% of these girls have been physically and/or sexually abused at home, and/or are exposed to gang violence while in the community (Chesney-Lind, 1989; Kerig et al, 2011; Schaffner, 2014), makes it even more meaningful that the girls expressed feeling safe in yoga class.…”

“…It is not controversial to state that the majority of young women in custody have experienced trauma. This trauma manifests in numerous negative ways, which include but are not limited to substance abuse, sexual abuse, physical abuse, domestic violence, neglect, and poverty (Nurius, Green, Logan-Greene, & Borja, 2015; Schaffner, 2014). Research also demonstrates that girls’ involvement in crime is often motivated by survival and driven by a desire to escape or erase victimization experiences (Chesney-Lind, 1989; Solomon, Davis, & Luckham, 2012).…”

“…With little or no access to affordable health care, she is at high risk of hepatitis C, asthma, diabetes, and parasitic infections and has almost certainly experienced at least one form of abuse (sexual, psychological, and/or physical) prior to her arrest. It is also likely that she presents with symptoms of depression, suicidal ideation, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD; Kerig et al, 2011; Schaffner, 2014).…”

Insert Sexy Title Here: Moving Toward a Sex-Positive Criminology

“…Others have explored early criminologists’ obsession with the categorization and classification of bodies and sexualities (Sekula, 1986; Tomsen, 1997; Woods, 2015). Feminist and queer criminologists have begun to address the importance of considering sexuality in criminal justice settings, mainly by exploring the repression and regulation of sexuality in prisons and juvenile detention facilities (Bosworth & Carrabine, 2001; Gibson & Hensley, 2013; Hensley & Tewksbury, 2002; Holsinger, 2000; Jenness, 2015; Kunzel, 2008; Richie, 2005; Schaffner, 2014). To frame sex-positive feminist criminology as sensitive to the concept of “thick desire” and intimately connected with the politics of wanting (Fine & McClelland, 2006), we use a queer/ed sex-positive feminist lens to explore the criminalization of teen sexting as a proxy for moral panic about teen sexuality by examining recent media coverage of criminalized teen sexting.…”