New Book Explores Lives Of Women Shoplifters, Sex Workers

Main Category: Women's Health / Gynecology
Also Included In: Sexual Health / STDs;  Alcohol / Addiction / Illegal Drugs;  Litigation / Medical Malpractice
Article Date: 07 Oct 2008 - 5:00 PDT

email to a friend   printer friendly   opinions  

A new book by a Rutgers University-Camden criminologist reveals the profound impact of shoplifting and prostitution on both a region and the lives of the women who depend on these illegal acts.

Out in the Storm - Drug-Addicted Women Living as Shoplifters and Sex Workers by Gail A. Caputo, an associate professor of criminal justice at Rutgers-Camden, offers vivid insights from 100 hours of interviews with 38 women who sold themselves and the merchandise they shoplifted.

"These are tragic stories, and we need to care, because these stories aren't going to end," says Caputo, who wrote this book for a wide audience, from those working in the criminal justice field to the average citizen. "These women shared their secrets with me, and they trusted me, and people need to listen."

Published by Northeastern University Press, Caputo's book is a departure from many works of criminological research in its emphasis on the authentic voices of shoplifters and sex workers. "Some feminist scholars portray these women as victims, doing what they're doing because they've been victimized," says the author, who earned her PhD from Rutgers-Newark. "I want to make the case that if you deny a woman her agency, you're devaluing her."

Caputo points out that even the women with the most heartbreaking stories ultimately made pragmatic - even entrepreneurial - choices. "I want to make it clear that what these women do is indeed work," Caputo says, adding that the women became "professional" shoplifters or sex workers to get what other people earn from more conventional careers: money, freedom, satisfaction.

That's not to say these career paths have been particularly rewarding. "The stories were very sad," Caputo says. "The women might say, 'I'm the best at this,' but still, they were suffering. It was very, very sad."

A troubled past was uncovered in almost all of the women Caputo interviewed at a Philadelphia rehabilitation program or at the Camden County Jail. As children, these street workers had experienced some sort of emotional, physical, or sexual abuse. Many had been exposed to alcohol or drugs at early ages, and all had become addicted to drugs - which ultimately led them to become shoplifters or sex workers (including strippers, escorts, and streetwalkers).

The Rutgers-Camden researcher also examined the roles customers play on the street. From "johns" wanting sex to poor young mothers seeking cheap infant formula, customers create the demand for sex work and shoplifting. And the complexity and pervasiveness of the illicit economy in struggling Camden or Philadelphia neighborhoods where the women either grew up or ended up also contribute to how they make their livelihoods.

"I've done a lot of research and this was just very different for me. This research has changed my life. It's changed how I think about my role. I have a responsibility towards these women and other women like them. I have a responsibility to do something, and with this (book) at least, I have given these women some voice."

###

Caputo resides in the Fairview section of Camden. As a member of the criminal justice faculty at Rutgers-Camden, she currently teaches a graduate course in Policy Analysis in Criminal Justice and undergraduate courses in Confinement and Corrections as well as Ethics and Policy in Criminal Justice.

Source: Mike Sepanic
Rutgers University

• Additional
• References
• Citations