Women street hustlers : who they are and how they survive / Barbara A. Rockell.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Rockell, Barbara A., author.

Contributor:

American Psychological Association.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Female offenders--New York (State)--Case studies.

Female offenders.

Women prisoners--New York (State)--Case studies.

Women prisoners.

Prisoners.

New York (State).

Medical Subjects:

Prisoners.

Genre:

Case studies.

Physical Description:

1 online resource

Edition:

First edition.

Other Title:

APA PsycBOOKS.

Place of Publication:

Washington, DC : American Psychological Association, [2008]

System Details:

Mode of access: World Wide Web.

text file

Summary:

"Although the number of women in U.S. jails remains low in comparison with the number of men, over the past 10 years their admission rate has soared. It now surpasses the rate of increase for men. Who are these chronic low-level female offenders, and what path leads them to drug involvement, prostitution, and petty larceny--illicit activities best described as "hustling"? Although demographic information on these women is available, it tells us little about who they are as people, how they become repeat offenders, or how they survive on the street. Barbara A. Rockell sheds light on these questions in a fascinating and empathic study of female repeat offenders admitted to a New York state jail. Their varied life trajectories reveal the difficulties of growing up in an unstable environment in which adulthood begins early and survival depends on "street smarts." Despite the women's self-defeating behaviors, many of them reveal a surprising degree of initiative and self-sufficiency. This finding runs counter to previous research in which drug use and criminal activity by women have been viewed as reflecting the perpetrators' victim status and lack of agency. The author argues for seeing these behaviors in a broader social context and suggests avenues for future study as well as more humane and constructive intervention strategies"--Jacket. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2009 APA, all rights reserved).

Contents:

Introduction: Understanding the lives of women street hustlers

A critical review of the research literature

The Rochester study : a quasi-ethnography of women street hustlers

Designing the research and analyzing the data

The women's physical environment, social milieu, and pathways to the street

Criminal patterns and lifestyles

Surviving on the outside and the inside

Discussion, conclusions, and implications.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 199-206) and index.

Electronic reproduction. Washington, D.C. : American Psychological Association, 2008. Available via the World Wide Web. Access limited by licensing agreement. s2008 dcunns.

ISBN:

9781433803338

143380333X

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license.