Criminology & Criminal Justice

“The tough-looking blonde over there,” is how Darlene was described to us nearly fifteen years ago when we launched our ongoing project with formerly incarcerated women in Massachusetts. Our first conversation was brief; her words were clipped. She gave the impression that she was annoyed, that she was in a hurry to go somewhere important.

July 30th is the UN-recognized World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, while January 11th is the US-recognized National Human Trafficking Awareness Day. While these days are crucial for shining a spotlight on the problem, the conversation often stops short of deeper insights and solutions. Criminological theories can offer us the foundation and tools to do just that.

By Grace Howard, author of The Pregnancy Police: Conceiving Crime, Arresting Personhood