Exploitation and Criminalization at the Margins: The Hidden Toll on Unvalued Lives explores the causes and consequences of discrimination experienced by vulnerable populations in the areas of policing, criminal justice, sex trafficking, intimate partner violence, immigration, (dis)ability, politics, substance abuse, and food insecurity. The contributors-many with firsthand experience-argue that children, women, people of color, immigrants, and numerous "others" are systemically devalued by institutions and authority figures. By indicating that some lives are worth less than others, it becomes possible and even socially acceptable to deny these groups assistance and resources, which in turn increases the risk and harm these marginalized communities face. Centering lived experiences, this work challenges discriminatory assumptions, presenting alternative pathways to equity that emphasize human dignity, compassion, empathy, and collaborative social justice.
Taryn VanderPyl is associate professor of criminal justice sciences at Western Oregon University. Shanell Sanchez is associate professor in the criminology and criminal justice program at Southern Oregon University.
Part I: Value and Risk Chapter 1: Caught in the Crosshairs: A Value of Life Examination of the Policing of Youth with Disabilities by Louise M. Yoho and Kiera R. Harrison Chapter 2: Carceral Environments of Risk: Reframing Danger and Care in Imprisoned America by William J. Robertson and Lindsey Raisa Feldman Chapter 3: "Everybody in the House Will go to Jail": Opioid Overdose and Resistance to Calling 911 in a Rural Setting by Kelly Szott Chapter 4: Economics and Intimate Partner Violence by Jacqueline A. Strenio and Jasmin M. A. Sackey Part II: Lived Experience Chapter 5: The Banality of Evil and the Normalization of Hate by Cameron Hayes and Taryn VanderPyl Chapter 6: I am the Headline: How Media Harms Children Involved in the Criminal Justice System by Shanell Sanchez, Ellyn House, and Catherine Venegas-Garcia Chapter 7: Centering Lived Experience Voices: Identifying Systems that Perpetuate Harm for Sex Trafficking Victims and Survivors by Angie Henderson, Sam Loon, and Maria Tell Chapter 8: Lives Deprived of Meaning: How Carcerally-Impacted Scholars Stand Up to Attempts to Devalue Their Truth by Grant Tietjen Part III: Immigration Chapter 9: Immigration and Workforce Safety: Examining the Exploitation and Abuse of the Undocumented Immigrant Workforce in the US Labor Market by Mercedes Valadez Chapter 10: Stigmatization and Labeling of Mexican Immigrants: Role of Media on Life Outcomes by Catherine Venegas-Garcia and Shanell Sanchez Chapter 11: Zero-Tolerance at the US Border: Understanding the Impact and Consequences of Family Separation by Mercedes Valadez Chapter 12: Disposable People in Toxic Texas: ICE Detention Centers and Federal Prisons as Pollution Outliers Robert Todd Perdue Part IV: Power and Oppression Chapter 13: Countering the Master Narrative: A Critical Race Theory and Value of Life Analysis of Unrecognized Capital by Cole Horning and Taryn VanderPyl Chapter 14: Discourse as a Productive Force in Education: Attacks on Transgender Rights, COVID-19, Library Books, and Critical Race Theory by Jarrett Moore Chapter 15: Growing Justice: Food Apartheid, Criminalization of Food Insecurity, and Anti-Oppression Gardening by Taryn VanderPyl
This book offers an examination of contemporary social justice issues, providing valuable insights into the complex challenges faced by marginalized communities through a lens of empathy and understanding. It delves into topics such as the policing of youth with disabilities, prison environments, the opioid overdose crisis, and the costs of intimate partner violence. It also examines the lived experience of individuals such as those in the criminal legal system, sex trafficking survivors, and undocumented immigrant workers. Exploitation and Criminalization at the Margins: The Hidden Toll on Unvalued Lives presents a thought-provoking and nuanced analysis of the systemic inequities that perpetuate harm and oppression in our society. -- Jessica Reichert, Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority
