Aimee Wodda | Pacific University (original) (raw)

Book by Aimee Wodda

Sex-Positive Criminology, 2020

Sex-Positive Criminology proposes a new way to think about sexuality in the fields of criminology... more Sex-Positive Criminology proposes a new way to think about sexuality in the fields of criminology and criminal justice. Sex-positivity is framed as a humanizing approach to sexuality that supports the well-being of self and others. It is rooted in the principle of active and ongoing consent, and it encourages perspectives that value bodily autonomy, the right to access education, and respect for sexual difference. In this book, the authors argue that institutions such as prisons, schools, and healthcare facilities, as well as agents of governments, such as law enforcement, correctional officers, and politicians, can unduly cause harm and perpetuate stigma through the regulation and criminalization of sexuality.

In order to critique institutions that criminalize and regulate sexuality, the authors of Sex-Positive Criminology examine case studies exploring the criminalization of commercial sex and related harm (at the hands of law enforcement) experienced by those who sell sex. They investigate sex education in schools, reproductive justice in communities and institutions, and restrictions on sexuality in places like prisons, jails, juvenile detention, and immigrant detention facilities. They look into the criminalization of BDSM practices and address concerns about young people’s sexuality connected to age of consent and privacy violations. The authors demonstrate how a sex-positive perspective could help criminologists, policymakers, and educators understand not only how to move away from sex-negative frameworks in theory, policy, and practice, but how sex-positive criminological frameworks can be a useful tool to reduce harm and increase personal agency.

Written in a clear and direct style, this book will appeal to students and scholars in criminology, sociology, sexuality studies, cultural studies, criminal justice, social theory, and all those interested in the relationship between sexuality and the crimino-legal system.

Papers by Aimee Wodda

Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Criminology and Criminal Justice

Commercial sex continues to be an object of debate in the realm of criminological and criminal ju... more Commercial sex continues to be an object of debate in the realm of criminological and criminal justice. The regulation of commercial sex in a global context varies due to local law, culture, and custom. Global criminolegal responses to selling sex include criminalization, decriminalization, abolition, neo-abolition, and legalization. In recent decades, global public policymakers have become increasingly concerned with the public health aspects associated with negative outcomes related to the criminalization of the purchase, facilitation, and/or sale of sex. These concerns include violence against those who sell sex, stigma when attempting to access healthcare and social services, increased risk of sexually transmitted infections or diseases (STIs or STDs) including HIV/AIDS, and economic vulnerability that leaves many who sell sex unable to negotiate the use of condoms and at risk of police arrest for carrying condoms. Those most at risk of harm tend to be young people, LGBTQ popula...

Critical Criminology

This article responds to claims advanced by "gender critical" feminists, most recently expressed ... more This article responds to claims advanced by "gender critical" feminists, most recently expressed in a criminological context by Burt (2020) in Feminist Criminology, that the Equality Act-a bill pending in the United States Congress-would place cisgender women at risk of male violence in sex-segregated spaces. We provide legal history, empirical research, and conceptual and theoretical arguments to highlight three broad errors made by Burt and other trans-exclusionary feminists. These include: (1) a misinterpretation of the Equality Act; (2) a narrow version of feminism that embraces a socially and biologically deterministic view of sex and gender; and (3) ignorance and dismissal of established criminological knowledge regarding victimization, offending patterns, and effective measures to enhance safety. The implications of "gender critical" arguments for criminology, and the publication of such, are also discussed.

International Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities

Literature on sexuality in criminological contexts exists, yet much of it is sex-negative, employ... more Literature on sexuality in criminological contexts exists, yet much of it is sex-negative, employs a “deviance frame,” and regards many sex acts as dangerous or destructive. Although research that could be considered sex-positive has been undertaken, an explicitly sex-positive theoretical and practical framework for feminist criminology has not yet been advanced. In this article, we propose “thick desire” as a way to envision an intersectional sex-positive feminist criminology that aligns with the principles of a positive sexuality approach to research and praxis. We explore the issue of criminalization of teen sexting to begin to integrate these principles.

The Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia of Gender and Sexuality Studies, 2016

The criminal justice system has traditionally attempted to regulate sexuality by deeming certain ... more The criminal justice system has traditionally attempted to regulate sexuality by deeming certain acts and desires as deviant, illegal, or both. Sexuality can be associated with reproductive capacities and functions, but it also refers to behaviors, desires, attractions, orientations, emotions, attachments, pleasures, risk-taking, intimacy, and spirituality. While sexuality does retain certain biological elements (e.g., the physical sensation of desire and attraction), it too is socially constructed; human sexuality is shaped by social forces and societal constructs. Although sexuality is historically, socially, and culturally contingent (Foucault 1978), the criminal justice system has often taken legal action upon those whose behaviors stray outside the boundaries of private, heteronormative, conjugal relations.

As a mechanism of control, the criminal justice system, increasingly referred to as a crimino-legal complex, involves not only criminal justice personnel and scholars, but also politicians and even ordinary citizens. A specific division of the crimino-legal system, often referred to as the juvenile justice system, may deal with individuals who have not yet reached the age of majority. Both criminal and juvenile justice systems are comprised of police, courts, and corrections, and are guided by law. Thus, following the establishment of legal measures and the enforcement of such measures by agents of the state (such as police), someone accused of violating the law (or even societal norms) is likely to be processed by the criminal justice system in the form of courts, and may be incarcerated in correctional facilities. In light of the relationship between human sexuality and its control, whether by law, agents of the state, courts, and/or corrections, an evaluation of the history and current status of such efforts is warranted.

This article looks into the cultural and legal milieu that has been made possible and has perpet... more This article looks into the cultural and legal milieu that has
been made possible and has perpetuated the so-called trans* panic defense through dual means: the employment of the deception trope and a reliance upon a societal predilection towards dichotomous gender identities and roles. In order to explore why and how the trans* panic defense has been used and to what end, we explore the origins and “psychology” of the defense, partially by noting similarities to and differences with the gay panic defense. We investigate cultural values that perpetuate the (masculine) fear of deception and nonbinary identities and analyze how sociocultural values are expressed in the legal realm by exploring several of the more noteworthy cases wherein defendants have attempted to utilize the trans* panic defense. Transphobic values are also evident in media coverage of transgender victims, which we evaluate alongside other sources. We conclude with an investigation into the ways in which the trans* panic defense is merely a sensationalized version of the denial of rights and humanity that transgender and gender nonconforming persons routinely experience within the law and crimino-legal systems more broadly, but look to positive outcomes such as the movement towards eliminating the trans* panic defense.

The Encyclopedia of Criminology and Criminal Justice, 2014

This entry provides a thorough overview of the various types of act that fall under the umbrella ... more This entry provides a thorough overview of the various types of act that fall under the umbrella term “prostitution”; it describes various forms of solicitation and the individuals engaged in these exchanges; and it offers descriptive statistics. The criminal justice response to prostitution is examined, with a focus on the strengths and weaknesses of arguments surrounding criminalization, decriminalization, and legalization. The summary concludes with a review of the global context of sex trafficking.

Encyclopedia of Criminology and Criminal Justice, 2014

This entry examines the most prominent and historically relevant occurrences of piracy in this pa... more This entry examines the most prominent and historically relevant occurrences of piracy in this particular time period, with a focus on the Americas. Several different types of pirate are discussed, and distinctions are drawn between the various pirating periods. A thorough overview of historical pirate social organization is presented, with a focus on pirate economy and the democratic structures in place aboard freebooting vessels, and the entry concludes with an assessment of how Colonial Era pirates were perceived and punished.

Crime and Justice in India, Mar 2013

This chapter examines loopholes in the judicial processes of India’s courts, with particular emph... more This chapter examines loopholes in the judicial processes of India’s courts, with particular emphasis on the legal system’s response to victims of sexual violence. Studies show that survivors must often relive their victimization repeatedly as they move through the legal process, thus undergoing experiences that have been termed “secondary victimization.” Our paper focuses specifically on survivors of sexual violence, mainly rape cases and explore how the court system affects rape survivors’ lives. We not only point out the limitations in the legal system and interrogate the efficiency of the court system, but also provide recommendations and solutions to fill these gaps. Our findings are of interest to victim advocates, key stakeholders in judicial systems, and researchers who could use our data to conduct an in-depth analysis of how courts could provide more effective support for survivors of sexual violence, and lessen the possibility of re-victimization.