Support, Surveillance, and Survival in Prostitution Diversion Programs
Corey S. Shdaimah, Chrysanthi S. Leon, and Shelly A. WiecheltLaws subject people who perform sex work to arrest and prosecution. The Compassionate Court? assesses two prostitution diversion programs (PDPs) that offer to “rehabilitate” people arrested for street-based sex work as an alternative to incarceration. However, as the authors show, these PDPs often fail to provide sustainable alternatives to their mandated clients. Participants are subjected to constant surveillance and obligations, which creates a paradox of responsibility in conflict with the system’s logic of rescue. Moreover, as the participants often face shame and re-traumatization as a price for services, poverty and other social problems, such as structural oppression, remain in place.
The authors of The Compassionate Court? provide case studies of such programs and draw upon interviews and observations conducted over a decade to reveal how participants and professionals perceive court-affiliated PDPs, clients, and staff. Considering the motivations, vision, and goals of these programs as well as their limitations—the inequity and disempowerment of their participants—the authors also present their own changing perspectives on prostitution courts, diversion programs, and criminalization of sex work.
"Overall, this book is an exemplary contribution to recent work critical of the encroachment of the criminal-legal system in human services, and it uses its rigorous qualitative data with those most affected to back up claims of the program’s harms. Its readability and empathetic treatment of the respondents make this ideal for a range of popular and academic audiences, including those whose perspectives are represented in this book."
—Social Service Review
"(A) thought-provoking assessment of the many challenges that result from the criminalization of sex work in the United States.... The book is relevant to criminal justice education as it can be used inside and outside the classroom to foster critical conversations surrounding the criminalization of sex work, community corrections, gender and crime, and a larger discussion about criminal justice policy."
—Journal of Criminal Justice Education
“The Compassionate Court? is a beautifully reflexive and critical examination of prostitution diversion programs and their place in the problem-solving court movement. Despite the best efforts, these programs reinforce entrenched stigmas around race, gender, and class under the ‘cover’ of supposedly neutral crime-control goals. The authors converge around a troubling and powerful conclusion: these courts fail defendants, who are often victims themselves, withholding services to favor those who conform to norms of sexuality and femininity and reinforcing stereotypes that discipline women.”
—Nicole Gonzalez Van Cleve, Associate Professor of Sociology at Brown University, and author of Crook County: Racism and Injustice in America’s Largest Criminal Court
“The Compassionate Court? presents a comprehensive analysis of prostitution diversion programs (PDPs). The accomplished scholars, drawing on a decade of research on two PDPs, reveal how well-intentioned criminal system reforms fall short in addressing underlying structural issues such as poverty, trauma, and housing and job insecurity. Through too-often-ignored stories of PDP participants and program professionals, this eye-opening book challenges current approaches and advocates for alternative solutions that account for the complex realities faced by marginalized sex workers.”
—Barbara G. Brents, Professor of Sociology at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and coauthor of Paying for Sex in a Digital Age: US and UK Perspectives
“The Compassionate Court? explores the criminalization of sex work and presents a strong critical analysis of court-affiliated prostitution diversion programs (PDPs).... The authors’ study contributes to the ongoing policy debate regarding sex work and the risks and benefits of alternative criminal justice models.... Overall, The Compassionate Court? presents a necessary critical perspective on PDPs...with seamless introductions and conclusions. The Compassionate Court? gives a voice back to sex workers.... The authors’ study provided an insider view on how a newer approach to criminal justice would impact the intended beneficiaries. In this way, the authors succeed in issuing a wake-up call to readers of any knowledge base."
—International Journal for Crime, Justice and Social Democracy
Challenging Perspectives on Street-Based Sex Work
Edited by Katie Hail-Jares, Corey S. Shdaimah, and Chrysanthi S. LeonIllness or Deviance?
Jennifer MurphyYouth Who Trade Sex in the U.S.
Carisa R. Showden and Samantha Majic© 2006-2024 Temple University | All Rights Reserved