Recovering Identity: Criminalized Women's Fight for Dignity and Freedom

Recovering Identity explores how formerly incarcerated women use recovery and faith-based discourses to craft rehabilitated identities, challenging individualistic understandings of criminalization and promoting personal transformation.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 232 pages
Publication date: 02 May 2023
Publisher: University of California Press

Recovering Identity delves into a profound interplay between criminalized women's identity work and the critical tension it encompasses. Through in-depth qualitative and photo-elicitation interviews, Cesraéa Rumpf explores the intricate ways in which formerly incarcerated women navigate the process of crafting rehabilitated identities, defined in contrast to their past identities as criminal addicts. While these recovery and faith-based discourses provided women with valuable opportunities for personal protection, growth, and joy, they also perpetuated individualistic notions of criminalization and the violence and dehumanization that often accompany it. Rumpf, however, pays tribute to the remarkable stories of personal transformation experienced by criminalized women, while simultaneously offering a staunch critique of institutions that promote narratives that impose lifelong moral judgment while neglecting to address the structural forces of racism, sexism, and poverty that contribute to women's vulnerability to violence.

This book offers a valuable contribution to the field of criminal justice and social work by shedding light on the experiences of criminalized women and the complex dynamics that shape their identities. Through her meticulous research and thoughtful analysis, Rumpf challenges prevailing narratives that perpetuate stereotypes and marginalization, and instead advocates for a more holistic and empathetic understanding of the factors that contribute to women's criminalization.

One of the key insights of Recovering Identity is the way in which recovery and faith-based discourses are used by women to construct rehabilitated identities. These discourses provide a framework for women to redefine themselves and reclaim their sense of self-worth after experiencing the trauma of incarceration. By embracing these discourses, women are able to carve out spaces of personal protection, growth, and joy, which are essential for their overall well-being and rehabilitation.

However, it is important to note that these discourses also promote individualistic understandings of criminalization and the violence and dehumanization that often accompany it. Rumpf highlights the ways in which these discourses can perpetuate harmful stereotypes and undermine efforts to address the root causes of women's vulnerability to violence. For example, some recovery and faith-based programs may focus solely on individual responsibility and personal transformation, neglecting to acknowledge the systemic factors that contribute to women's criminalization, such as poverty, racism, and sexism.

To address these challenges, Rumpf calls for a more comprehensive and intersectional approach to addressing women's vulnerability to violence. She advocates for a shift away from punitive measures and toward policies that prioritize prevention, intervention, and support for women who have been criminalized. This approach requires a recognition of the structural forces that contribute to women's vulnerability and a commitment to addressing them through policy changes, social reform, and community-based efforts.

In conclusion, Recovering Identity is a groundbreaking book that offers a profound exploration of the complex interplay between criminalized women's identity work and the structural forces that contribute to their vulnerability to violence. Through her in-depth qualitative and photo-elicitation interviews, Rumpf provides a rich and nuanced understanding of the ways in which formerly incarcerated women navigate the process of crafting rehabilitated identities and the challenges they face along the way. This book is a must-read for scholars, policymakers, and practitioners working in the fields of criminal justice and social work, as well as anyone interested in understanding the experiences of marginalized and oppressed populations.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780520376991