Marisa Aya Gruber Bücher

Many feminists confront the issue of hyper-incarceration in the U.S., yet discussions on gender crime often claim that criminal law is insufficiently tough. Legal scholar Aya Gruber argues that this punitive mindset is both dangerous and counterproductive. In their pursuit of protecting women from domestic violence and rape, American feminists have inadvertently become participants in the war on crime. They emphasize white female victimhood, expand police and prosecutorial powers, and promote incarceration as a solution, diverting resources from marginalized communities. Through compelling cases and rigorous analysis, the text reveals the state's failure to effectively address sexual and domestic violence through punitive measures. Zero-tolerance policies often leave women less safe and more vulnerable. Practices like mandatory arrests and no-drop prosecutions entrap poor women of color in a historically antagonistic criminal justice system. This carceral approach deepens social inequalities, reallocating power and resources to a flawed system that harms victims, perpetrators, and communities alike. To change this trajectory, Gruber argues for a departure from conventional feminist strategies, advocating for the fight against violence without reinforcing the prison system and treating criminalization as a last resort rather than a primary solution.

This book tells the story how feminists, in their quest to secure women's protection from domestic violence and rape, became soldiers in the war on crime and contributors to mass incarceration, and it sketches a path forward for young women, activists, and lawmakers to oppose violence against women without reinforcing the American prison state. -https://lawweb.colorado.edu/profiles/...