The Victimization of Criminalized Women and Trauma Trails: Pathways to Criminalization and the Dichotomy of the Victim/Offender Continuum

Abstract

This paper explores the victimization/criminalization dichotomy as women who are criminalized are often marginalized and have extensive histories of trauma; they have often experienced victimization through abuse, colonialism, familial instability, poverty, addiction, and mental health struggles. The trauma women experience further informs their life courses, and in many instances results in further victimization. The ways in which the criminal justice system and correctional institutions contribute to the victimization of women is addressed. There is no catch-all solution to the issues that contribute to the criminalization of marginalized women—many of the challenges that they face are multifaceted and systemic. Despite this, criminalized women cannot only be considered victims of circumstance, and their voices are necessary to improving the system that perpetuates their marginalization.