Date of Award

1-2011

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Department

Sociology

First Advisor

Dr. Susan Caringella

Second Advisor

Dr. Ron Kramer

Third Advisor

Dr. Angie Moe

Fourth Advisor

Dr. David Kauzlarich

Abstract

Women experience sexual violence at the hands of the United States military, police, corrections officers and border patrol agents. The study of state crime has been expanding rapidly in criminological research, however there has been little attention paid to its victims, particularly women, and especially to women's sexual victimization. The purpose of this research is to expand current research to develop a gendered analysis of state crimes in the context of sexual violence against women. This research applies Kauzlarich, Matthews and Miller's (2001) six propositions of a Victimology of State Crime to four cases of sexual victimization by U.S. agencies. The findings illuminate the comparable yet varied experiences women have as victims of sexual violence at the hands of state actors with in the U.S. agencies of the military, police, corrections and border patrol and serve to further develop a victimology of state crime, especially as contextualized by women's disenfranchised positions and vulnerabilities. Analysis across the four cases demonstrate they systematic nature of sexual violence women experience across state agencies. Conclusions highlight directions for further research and refinement to enhance understanding of state crime across a variety of agencies, and the endemic violence, particularly sexual violence, by state actors against virtually any category of female victims.

Access Setting

Dissertation-Open Access

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