Book Review: Queer (In)Justice: Mapping New Gay (Scholarly) Agendas

Abstract:     
The book Queer (In)Justice: The Criminalization of LGBT People in the United States, by Joey L. Mogul, Andrea J. Ritchie, & Kay Whitlock (Beacon Press 2011), surveys involvement of sexual minorities in all phases of the what the authors term the “criminal legal system.” It examines the treatment of LGBTQ people as criminal defendants, victims, and prisoners. Queer (In)Justice moves beyond the typical focus of gay rights activists and scholars in the criminal law area to address the everyday treatment of LGBTQ people by police, prosecutors, courts, and corrections authorities. Relying heavily on prison abolitionist movement thinking, the book calls into question reliance on criminal punishment as a means of combating violence against LGBTQ people. Although largely anecdotal, and sometimes over-heated in its rhetoric, Queer (In)Justice succeeds in constructing a compelling narrative and mapping out largely uncharted territory. This Review provides an overview and critique of Queer (In)Justice, situating the book within current legal scholarship. The Review then suggests topics for further research in this developing area, taking account of recent developments in the LGBTQ rights movement.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 24

Keywords: Criminal Law, Sexual Orientation and the Law, Prisons, Gender and the Law

Accepted Paper Series