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Alternative Criminology
Our Bodies, Our Crimes: The Policing of Women’s Reproduction in America
Winner of th e 2010 Distinguished Book Award from the American Sociological Association; Sex and Gender Section
2009 Choice Outstanding Academic Title
An important work documenting how the criminal justice system polices women's reproductive capacity
The intense policing of women’s reproductive capacity places women’s health and human rights in great peril. Poor women are pressured to undergo sterilization. Women addicted to illicit drugs risk arrest for carrying their pregnancies to term. Courts, child welfare, and law enforcement agencies fail to recognize the efforts of battered and incarcerated women to care for their children. Pregnant inmates are subject to inhumane practices such as shackling during labor and poor prenatal care. And decades after Roe , the criminalization of certain procedures and regulation of abortion providers still obstruct women’s access to safe and private abortions.
In this important work, Jeanne Flavin looks beyond abortion to document how the law and the criminal justice system police women’s rights to conceive, to be pregnant, and to raise their children. Through vivid and disturbing case studies, Flavin shows how the state seeks to establish what a “good woman” and “fit mother” should look like and whose reproduction is valued. With a stirring conclusion that calls for broad-based measures that strengthen women’s economic position , choice-making, autonomy, sexual freedom, and health care, Our Bodies, Our Crimes is a battle cry for all women in their fight to be fully recognized as human beings. At its heart, this book is about the right of a woman to be a healthy and valued member of society independent of how or whether she reproduces.
2009 Choice Outstanding Academic Title
An important work documenting how the criminal justice system polices women's reproductive capacity
The intense policing of women’s reproductive capacity places women’s health and human rights in great peril. Poor women are pressured to undergo sterilization. Women addicted to illicit drugs risk arrest for carrying their pregnancies to term. Courts, child welfare, and law enforcement agencies fail to recognize the efforts of battered and incarcerated women to care for their children. Pregnant inmates are subject to inhumane practices such as shackling during labor and poor prenatal care. And decades after Roe , the criminalization of certain procedures and regulation of abortion providers still obstruct women’s access to safe and private abortions.
In this important work, Jeanne Flavin looks beyond abortion to document how the law and the criminal justice system police women’s rights to conceive, to be pregnant, and to raise their children. Through vivid and disturbing case studies, Flavin shows how the state seeks to establish what a “good woman” and “fit mother” should look like and whose reproduction is valued. With a stirring conclusion that calls for broad-based measures that strengthen women’s economic position , choice-making, autonomy, sexual freedom, and health care, Our Bodies, Our Crimes is a battle cry for all women in their fight to be fully recognized as human beings. At its heart, this book is about the right of a woman to be a healthy and valued member of society independent of how or whether she reproduces.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 2008
8 people are currently reading
759 people want to read
About the author
Jeanne Flavin
5 books4 followersJeanne Flavin is a Professor of Sociology at Fordham University.
Dr. Flavin earned her Ph.D. in Sociology: Justice from American University in 1995. Her scholarship examines the impact of the criminal justice system on women, and has appeared in Gender & Society, Justice Quarterly, and the Fordham University Urban Law Journal. She is the author of "Our Bodies, Our Crimes" (NYU, 2009) on the criminalization of women's reproduction and co-authored the book, "Class, Race, Gender & Crime: Social Realities of Justice in America, 2nd ed." (Rowman and Littlefield, 2010). In 2009, Jeanne accepted a Fulbright Award to undertake research at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. She proudly chairs the board of directors of National Advocates for Pregnant Women.
(from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeanne-...)
Dr. Flavin earned her Ph.D. in Sociology: Justice from American University in 1995. Her scholarship examines the impact of the criminal justice system on women, and has appeared in Gender & Society, Justice Quarterly, and the Fordham University Urban Law Journal. She is the author of "Our Bodies, Our Crimes" (NYU, 2009) on the criminalization of women's reproduction and co-authored the book, "Class, Race, Gender & Crime: Social Realities of Justice in America, 2nd ed." (Rowman and Littlefield, 2010). In 2009, Jeanne accepted a Fulbright Award to undertake research at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. She proudly chairs the board of directors of National Advocates for Pregnant Women.
(from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeanne-...)
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 28, 2011
An exceptional addition to the canon of books on reproductive justice and civil rights for women. The writing style is engaging and the examples are fascinating enough to keep the pace moving briskly - so it rarely becomes boring or overly academic. The author proves her points persuasively and using excellent evidence. It is really exciting to see a book that truly champions all women and challenges the norms and expectations of what makes a good mother outside a middle class framework. I read it shortly after finishing The Mommy Myth (which is also an excellent book) but I highly recommend reading them close together because they compliment each other extremely well but focus on diversely different aspects and people. You rarely see the right s of the poor championed so strongly in mainstream feminism so it was gratifying to see the usual ideas expanded to truly incorporate these women.
It is clearly well researched and I recommend it to anyone looking for a different frame for the old repro rights fight.
It is clearly well researched and I recommend it to anyone looking for a different frame for the old repro rights fight.
September 26, 2012
For a hefty topic, Flavin makes this a fairly easy read. At times it comes off pretty academic, in that it’s specific in its goals and probably will not appeal to a mass audience (their loss). I liked how Flavin went beyond he typical abortion debate and really challenged me to consider issues of class, race, and freedom. For instance, she speaks a lot about incarcerated women and the “choices” they have around whether they become mothers or not. In a lot of cases, even if they do choose to be mothers, they are later forced to give up parental rights, or it is otherwise made difficult for them to have any lasting relationship with their children. It really gets you thinking about who these policies benefit, and who they might be harming. I would definitely recommend this for anyone looking to learn more about reproductive justice in the United States.
May 28, 2022
Excellent book. I appreciate the coverage of many facets of reproductive rights. I found the use of notes in the back to be excessive.
July 25, 2016
(What follows are notes from my book log/journal.)
"Our failure to develop a better understanding of women and families has led to policies that undermine the status of women rather than elevate it... Increasingly, the state acts as if it had the obligation to intervene in women's reproductive lives, while absolving itself of any responsibility for ensuring that the basic need for health care (including drug treatment), education, housing, and financial support are met. Ironically, at some of the very points at which women may benefit the most from support... our official (and unofficial) responses are the harshest."
NOTES:
-SUPER intense read!!!
-This book is PACKED with information - it takes a while to process and work through although I read it fairly quickly.
-Criminalization is a heavy theme; of particular interest to me was how fetal protection laws endanger women and pregnant people, as well as the accounts from women in prison.
-Led me to doing a lot of research on neonaticide rates in Canada, which was depressing.
-Emphasizes the need for more comprehensive social safety nets father than a punitive approach to mothers who are deemed "criminal" - which mothers are more likely to be criminalized? How does racism and poverty endanger mothers and children?
-Really made me think about how women's bodies are policed - literally and figuratively - and regulated with state intervention.
Further thoughts:
This book kind of blew my mind a little - I HIGHLY recommend it, although as I stress in my notes it is really intense, and contains subject matter that might be triggering. I found myself talking about it at dinner parties, which made me a less than uplifting party presence but whatever (note to self: dead infants and incarcerated mothers aren't great dinner conversation). It was an important read and connected a lot of things that I had previously been aware of but not necessarily thought of as interconnected on a systemic level.
"Our failure to develop a better understanding of women and families has led to policies that undermine the status of women rather than elevate it... Increasingly, the state acts as if it had the obligation to intervene in women's reproductive lives, while absolving itself of any responsibility for ensuring that the basic need for health care (including drug treatment), education, housing, and financial support are met. Ironically, at some of the very points at which women may benefit the most from support... our official (and unofficial) responses are the harshest."
NOTES:
-SUPER intense read!!!
-This book is PACKED with information - it takes a while to process and work through although I read it fairly quickly.
-Criminalization is a heavy theme; of particular interest to me was how fetal protection laws endanger women and pregnant people, as well as the accounts from women in prison.
-Led me to doing a lot of research on neonaticide rates in Canada, which was depressing.
-Emphasizes the need for more comprehensive social safety nets father than a punitive approach to mothers who are deemed "criminal" - which mothers are more likely to be criminalized? How does racism and poverty endanger mothers and children?
-Really made me think about how women's bodies are policed - literally and figuratively - and regulated with state intervention.
Further thoughts:
This book kind of blew my mind a little - I HIGHLY recommend it, although as I stress in my notes it is really intense, and contains subject matter that might be triggering. I found myself talking about it at dinner parties, which made me a less than uplifting party presence but whatever (note to self: dead infants and incarcerated mothers aren't great dinner conversation). It was an important read and connected a lot of things that I had previously been aware of but not necessarily thought of as interconnected on a systemic level.
July 26, 2012
Flavin's a genius and her book party is tonight.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews