Carceral feminists have the right ends, the wrong means. Have they.
Criminal feminism aims to tackle gender-based violence and inequality through the criminal justice system. This essay will examine whether the means of carceral feminism are effective in delivering justice and resolving gendered violence. There has been growing criticism of the punitive policies advocated due to their role in contributing to mass incarceration and their adverse effects on promoting equality. This alliance between feminists and the carceral state has reinforced racial and gendered narratives of crime victimhood, lending support to a policing system that does not function as it may appear (Gruber, 2023). This essay will first explore the motivations of carceral…show more content… This does great harm, by not only dismissing healing, but due to the lack of intersectionality. Therefore, there is a growing number of feminists who support community-based justice programs, which do not involve the state and emphasise the interconnectedness of oppression by addressing the diverse needs and experiences of all victims of gender-based violence (Terweil, 2020). If prisons are made to be the primary solution to gendered violence, it justifies increases to carceral budgets, diverting attention away from cuts to the programs that help survivors escape issues like domestic violence, such as shelters and welfare. There have been case studies of groups organizing long-term plans to address abuse and the inequalities which may exacerbate gendered violence. For example, the refugee women of Halifax are utilising a drop-in center to create an informal support group (Law, 2014). Offering catering, housing, emotional and childcare support allowed to address the economic and social inequities, ensuring women were not relying economically on their abusers (ibid). This kind of dependence on an abusive partner and the myriad forms of abuse faced by all types of women is neglected by carceral feminism, which only relies on a criminalised response. In the United States, two thirds or more of women who were afraid to call the police states that they felt they would not be believed (Riaz,2022), solidifying the idea that restorative and transformative justice programs are a necessary and more effective means of uplifting victims and reaching gender equality in comparison to
