Rehab Retrospect: Former Prostitutes and the (Re)construction of Deviance

Abstract

In this study, in-depth qualitative interviews with former street prostitutes currently in an outpatient drug rehabilitation program are utilized to examine the transition out of prostitution and from a deviant to a non-deviant identity. Little extant literature explores the relationships between stigma management and desistance as prostitutes attempt to exit the industry. This research finds that while in rehab, the women activated meanings of their previous drug addiction both as a stigma management technique and as a cognitive process that distances them from the prostitute identity. They conceptually bundled their prostitution identity with that of drug addiction, ultimately reinforcing that they completed the transition out of deviance.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Kristan McCray

KRISTAN McCRAY is a former Victim Advocate with the State Attorney's Office in Jacksonville, Florida. She received her Master's degree in Criminal Justice from the University of North Florida in 2009. Her thesis is entitled “Beyond the Risk Factors: A Look into the Intricacies of Women's Decision to Prostitute.”

Jennifer K. Wesely

JENNIFER K. WESELY, Ph.D. is Associate Professor in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of North Florida. Her work addresses gender, marginalized populations, and social justice. She recently co-authored the book Hard Lives, Mean Streets: Violence in the Lives of Homeless Women (Jasinski, Wesely, Wright, & Mustaine, Northeastern University Press, 2010).

Christine E. Rasche

CHRISTINE E. RASCHE, Ph.D., is Professor Emerita in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of North Florida, where she has taught for the past 37 years. Her research has primarily focused on issues affecting women in their relationships to the criminal justice system, as victims, offenders, prisoners, and justice practitioners.