Coercive sexual environments in non

272 Pages·2017·6.5 MB·English

Dirt roads to justice and heartland girls: Coercive sexual environments in non-
metropolitan communities

by

April Nicole Terry

B.A., Kansas Wesleyan University, 2006
M.A., Washburn University, 2009

AN ABSTRACT OF A DISSERTATION

submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work
College of Arts and Sciences

KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY
Manhattan, Kansas

2018
Abstract
This study analyzes in-depth interviews with incarcerated girls and young women, as well as
contributions from community actors, to assess coercive sexual environments (CSE) in non-
urban areas. CSEs represent an area of limited research that spotlights spatial disadvantage and
sexual exploitation of at-risk girls, generating long-lasting negative effects for young women
such as sexual harassment, exploitation, and sexual violence. Little is known about how CSEs
may increase risk for girls’ involvement in the criminal justice system; further, all previous CSE
research has been conducted in urban areas. To address these voids, the current study takes place
in a primarily rural state, representing social control mechanisms somewhat different from
cityscapes. Using a multi-pronged conceptual model of gendered pathways, ecological factors,
and feminist criminology, the project relies heavily on stories from incarcerated girls and
women. It identifies gender-specific mechanisms that perpetuate disadvantage and violence,
examining how such apparatus may create a pipeline into the justice system. Tracing
participants’ community roots, the study further gathers structural and cultural characteristics of
the locale, assessing social control practices as reported by local professionals. Results confirm
existence of CSEs in rural areas, which may produce negative outcomes and establish direct and
indirect connections between young women and the justice system. Non-urban CSEs reveal
origins common to those found in cities; patriarchy is identified as accounting for emergence of
CSEs regardless of populous. The maintenance of such mechanisms, however, appear to be
somewhat unique in rural communities; family name, a heavily-gendered veneer of idyllic but
[un]safe milieux, and an absence of (and community reluctance to seek) vital services for abused
girls and women are revealed as CSE characteristics in the areas of this study. Further, the
current study challenges literature proclaiming solely positive results from high levels of
collective efficacy, finding that strong collective efficacy in non-urban areas gathers close insider
ties, but “outsiders,” which includes girls identified in this research, are defined quickly and
deeply, placing them in significant peril. Policy recommendations include trauma-informed
services in rural communities, coupled with education on characteristics associated with CSEs.
While this research underscores over-incarceration of girls, it also suggests stop-gap approaches
that address unique needs of young women in the justice system. Finally, recommendations for
future CSE studies are offered.
Dirt roads to justice and heartland girls: Coercive sexual environments in non-
metropolitan communities

by

April Nicole Terry

B.A., Kansas Wesleyan University, 2006
M.A., Washburn University, 2009

A DISSERTATION

submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work
College of Arts and Sciences

KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY
Manhattan, Kansas

2018

Approved by:

Major Professor
L. Susan Williams
Copyright
© April Nicole Terry 2018.
Abstract
This study analyzes in-depth interviews with incarcerated girls and young women, as well as
contributions from community actors, to assess coercive sexual environments (CSE) in non-
urban areas. CSEs represent an area of limited research that spotlights spatial disadvantage and
sexual exploitation of at-risk girls, generating long-lasting negative effects for young women
such as sexual harassment, exploitation, and sexual violence. Little is known about how CSEs
may increase risk for girls’ involvement in the criminal justice system; further, all previous CSE
research has been conducted in urban areas. To address these voids, the current study takes place
in a primarily rural state, representing social control mechanisms somewhat different from
cityscapes. Using a multi-pronged conceptual model of gendered pathways, ecological factors,
and feminist criminology, the project relies heavily on stories from incarcerated girls and
women. It identifies gender-specific mechanisms that perpetuate disadvantage and violence,
examining how such apparatus may create a pipeline into the justice system. Tracing
participants’ community roots, the study further gathers structural and cultural characteristics of
the locale, assessing social control practices as reported by local professionals. Results confirm
existence of CSEs in rural areas, which may produce negative outcomes and establish direct and
indirect connections between young women and the justice system. Non-urban CSEs reveal
origins common to those found in cities; patriarchy is identified as accounting for emergence of
CSEs regardless of populous. The maintenance of such mechanisms, however, appear to be
somewhat unique in rural communities; family name, a heavily-gendered veneer of idyllic but
[un]safe milieux, and an absence of (and community reluctance to seek) vital services for abused
girls and women are revealed as CSE characteristics in the areas of this study. Further, the
current study challenges literature proclaiming solely positive results from high levels of
collective efficacy, finding that strong collective efficacy in non-urban areas gathers close insider
ties, but “outsiders,” which includes girls identified in this research, are defined quickly and
deeply, placing them in significant peril. Policy recommendations include trauma-informed
services in rural communities, coupled with education on characteristics associated with CSEs.
While this research underscores over-incarceration of girls, it also suggests stop-gap approaches
that address unique needs of young women in the justice system. Finally, recommendations for
future CSE studies are offered.
Table of Contents
List of figures ................................................................................................................................ xii
List of tables ................................................................................................................................. xiii
Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................................... xiv
Dedication ..................................................................................................................................... xv
Preface.......................................................................................................................................... xvi
Chapter 1 - Girls’ pathways into the juvenile justice system .......................................................... 1
Author’s preface ......................................................................................................................... 1
Introduction to the study ............................................................................................................. 3
Coercive sexualized environments ............................................................................................. 6
Theoretical framework ................................................................................................................ 8
Feminist criminology perspective ......................................................................................... 10
Gendered pathways theory .................................................................................................... 12
Ecological theory .................................................................................................................. 13
Conceptual model ..................................................................................................................... 15
Community infrastructure ..................................................................................................... 19
Local gender regime.............................................................................................................. 20
Coercive sexual environments .............................................................................................. 21
Gendered experiences ........................................................................................................... 23
Adaptations ........................................................................................................................... 25
Local interventions ................................................................................................................ 27
Criminal justice system ......................................................................................................... 29
Concluding remarks on the conceptual model ...................................................................... 30
Working research questions ...................................................................................................... 31
Summary and organization ....................................................................................................... 31
Chapter 2 - Literature review ........................................................................................................ 34
Author’s preface ....................................................................................................................... 34
Juvenile justice and gender as context ...................................................................................... 35
Systemic contradictions ........................................................................................................ 37
State-level juvenile justice: One Midwestern state ............................................................... 39
viii
Patriarchy and the institutionalization of privilege ................................................................... 43
When victimization is criminalized .......................................................................................... 44
Policy and “kinder, gentler cages” ........................................................................................ 46
The face of childhood abuse ................................................................................................. 48
Schools teach more than classroom curricula ....................................................................... 50
Blurred boundaries ................................................................................................................ 52
Intersectionality ..................................................................................................................... 53
From inner-city ghettos to country pastures ............................................................................. 55
Coercive sexual environments .............................................................................................. 62
Summary ................................................................................................................................... 64
Review of working research questions ..................................................................................... 66
Chapter 3 - Methodology .............................................................................................................. 69
Author’s preface ....................................................................................................................... 69
Chapter 3 framework ................................................................................................................ 70
Epistemological framework ...................................................................................................... 72
Early methodological considerations ........................................................................................ 75
Research sites ............................................................................................................................ 78
The State ............................................................................................................................... 78
Topeka Correctional Facility ................................................................................................ 80
Kansas Juvenile Correctional Complex ................................................................................ 81
Interviewing girls and women .................................................................................................. 86
Interviewing community actors ................................................................................................ 88
Data management and analysis ................................................................................................. 90
Discussion ................................................................................................................................. 93
Chapter 4 - Stories behind prison walls ........................................................................................ 95
Author’s preface ....................................................................................................................... 95
Chapter 4 framework ................................................................................................................ 96
Brief review of Kansas milieu .................................................................................................. 97
Sample demographics ............................................................................................................... 98
Coding and themes .................................................................................................................. 101
Frontier communities: Where everyone knows your name (and gender) ........................... 103
ix
Non-metro gender regimes: Here is your [gender] identity ................................................ 110
Place, space, and [the gendering of] coercive sexual environments ................................... 116
Dirt roads: Girls’ pathway to prison ................................................................................... 127
Pathway 1: Family junctures ........................................................................................... 127
Pathway 2: A veneer of idyllic but [un]safe milieux ...................................................... 129
Pathway 3: Backroads, byways, and social capital ......................................................... 131
Discussion ............................................................................................................................... 132
Chapter 5 - Community truths…and half-truths ......................................................................... 136
Author’s preface ..................................................................................................................... 136
Chapter 5 framework .............................................................................................................. 137
Kansas, 2018 ........................................................................................................................... 137
County clusters ....................................................................................................................... 138
Sunnyvale: Cluster 1 ........................................................................................................... 139
We want to see your family connection [and assigned gender] ...................................... 139
You can’t report that! He is a boy…and a Smith............................................................ 144
Cultural and structural services [and disservices] ........................................................... 147
Sunnyvale summary ........................................................................................................ 150
Springfield: Cluster 2 .......................................................................................................... 151
Dichotomies: You’re either good or bad ........................................................................ 151
Discriminatory practices—Practice makes perfect ......................................................... 153
Help wanted: Where no resources exist .......................................................................... 154
Springfield summary ....................................................................................................... 157
Langley Falls: Cluster 3 ...................................................................................................... 158
Forget family ties—We’re transient ............................................................................... 159
…but don’t forget the church! .................................................................................... 162
Surviving sex…ual assault .............................................................................................. 164
Langley Falls summary ................................................................................................... 165
Discussion: The magical question .......................................................................................... 167
Chapter 6 - Conclusion ............................................................................................................... 171
Author’s preface ..................................................................................................................... 171
Project review ......................................................................................................................... 172
x