ABSTRACT
In recent decades, the growth rate of women either incarcerated or on some form of community supervision has far outpaced that of men. This chapter provides a brief overview of trends in women’s involvement in the criminal justice system in both American and international contexts, then summarizes recent research on the social and economic factors that contribute to the criminalization of women. I then discuss ways in which women continue to be marginalized in academic and popular discourses around criminal offending. While there has been growing attention paid to women’s experiences of incarceration and post-prison re-entry, far less scholarship has examined the gendered aspects of encounters with police. I review the existing literature on this topic, and draw on my own research on criminalized women’s experiences with community supervision and police agencies to offer a closer look at these encounters. I conclude with a brief discussion of the implications of this research on gender and social control, and how the advancements made in feminist examinations of incarceration and rehabilitation might be extended to policing.
