Abstract
The second and updated edition of ‘Queer Criminology’ by Carrie L. Buist and Emily Lenning is an accessible and stimulating read for anyone interested in the rapidly growing field of queer criminology. This subdiscipline of criminology specifically addresses the personal experiences and structural processes of stigmatisation, exclusion and criminalisation of queer (LGBTQ+) people within the criminal legal system. This body of knowledge has substantially grown since the book’s first edition in 2016, reflecting the increasing academic and societal interest in this subfield of criminology.
Despite the broad title of the book, ‘Queer Criminology’ doesn’t extensively address the complex but fundamental definition discussions which often animate queer theory. Instead, Buist and Lenning present a set of working definitions of queerness, sexual orientation and gender identity (Gonzalez-Salzberg, 2017, 97). This approach benefits their aim of introducing a range of topics within queer criminology, guiding the reader thematically through a thorough overview of international empirical findings. There lies the strength of the book and the coherency in its approach: it is rooted in the experiences of queer people with the criminal legal system, leading the authors to address definition difficulties in a pragmatic way that supports the discussion of the empirical work.
The book provides an excellent introduction to the field of queer criminology and is accessible to students, practitioners and academics from diverse disciplines (criminology, law, gender studies and critical, queer or feminist theory applied to issues of the criminal legal system). Readers already familiar with queer theory may nevertheless feel unsatiated in their hunger for theoretical and complex epistemological discussions on the intersections between queer theory and criminology. The authors are well aware of this, and skilfully refer the interested reader to existing literature which actively reflects on these fundamental and challenging questions (such as Ball, 2014a, 2014b, 2016; Dwyer et al., 2016; Woods, 2014).
Although the discussed academic literature is not limited to one specific region, the book’s main focus is on the United States. This is not surprising, knowing that the overwhelming majority of queer criminological academic work is US-, UK- or Australia-based. Nevertheless, the authors also include international findings from other countries when available (and more so than in the book’s first edition). These are sometimes limited to anecdotal findings and could significantly benefit from more contextual framing, although a full cross-cultural analysis would be outside of the scope of this monograph. In a way, the book reflects the dominant Euro-American understanding of queerness in the literature on this topic.
The monograph is divided into seven main parts. First, the authors outline the field of queer criminology, give a concise overview of its development and articulate their approach regarding language and ‘queering’ criminology for the book. The second chapter focuses on the criminalisation of queerness (focussed on homosexuality and gender non-conformity) and describes the past and ongoing instrumentalisation of legal mechanisms as a tool for the oppression of queer people. Third, the authors explore the many different ways in which queer people come into contact with the criminal legal system, accounting for the heterogeneity of queer people’s personal experiences with the system, as both victims and offenders. By focussing on the (structural and institutional) victimisation of queer offenders (including survival crimes), Buist and Lenning further discuss the blurring of the ‘offender–victim’ dichotomy. The authors also recognise queer criminologists’ reluctance to research queer offenders, fearing this might add to the criminological body of knowledge which could in turn feed the structural marginalisation of this population. Instead, they propose that queer criminological research can be mobilised as a form of resistance by uncovering racist, classist and heteronormative dynamics within the criminal legal system and criminological knowledge production. This chapter is a welcome addition to the book’s first edition.
The following chapters each focus on the interactions of queer people with three major actors within the criminal legal system: law enforcement (chapter 4), sentencing systems (chapter 5) and correctional institutions (chapter 6). The authors have regularly included case studies and quotes to illustrate key findings, making these issues more tangible. The fourth chapter specifically addresses the relationship of mutual distrust between marginalised communities and law enforcement. While the focus remains on the discrimination and disproportionate targeting of queer people by law enforcement, the authors also reflect on how these mechanisms relate to questions of race and ethnicity, encouraging the reader to look at these issues through an intersectional lens. Furthermore, the chapter presents the ways in which the hypermasculine policing culture ultimately harms queer civilians, but also (‘queer and blue’) agents of law enforcement themselves. The fifth chapter on sentencing describes the experiences of LGBTQ+ people in courtrooms and considers how legal systems fail to protect (or even deny) the rights of queer people. The authors moreover highlight the peculiar (American) phenomenon of gay and trans panic cases, a legal defence strategy in which a defendant legitimises violence against LGBTQ+ people by framing violent behaviour as a response to unwanted sexual advances. Next, the chapter on queer people and corrections presents the main issues LGBTQ+ people face in correctional institutions. The focus mainly lies on the most salient experiences of trans, non-binary and gender fluid people and the challenges they face regarding classification, housing and access to medical care in correctional institutions organised by a strict binary and cisnormative understanding of gender identity. More broadly, the chapter addresses the high rates of (sexual) victimisation experiences of queer people in corrections and raises questions on isolation and segregation practices aimed at ‘protecting’ LGBTQ+ detainees.
The book concludes by evaluating the existing gaps and weaknesses in queer criminological literature (such as the lack of quantitative data and intersectional studies), reflects on the state of the queer criminological body of literature and suggests pathways for research and the future of the discipline. Buist and Lenning promote an open and interdisciplinary queer criminology, paying close attention to societal evolutions beyond academia and propose media studies as one of its main tools.
To conclude, ‘Queer criminology’ offers an excellent and accessible overview of salient queer criminological issues based on available research concerning the experiences of LGBTQ+ people with the (American) criminal legal system. Outlining key findings and raising relevant questions at the same time, this monograph acts as an invitation to explore the growing field of queer criminology.