Formerly Gang-Involved Latina Mothers Resisting Trails of Violence in the Barrio

• In Event: 2304 - Minority Fellowship Program (MFP) Research Session: Issues in Race/Ethnicity, Gender, and Stratification

Abstract

While feminist and critical criminologist have studied the “war on girls”, little attention has been given to violence experienced by gang-involved Latina mothers. To date, most empirical research has focused on the immediate correlates of gang membership, such as psychosocial risk, delinquency, and victimization but little research has examined women’s experiences after they have ceased to be active gang members. Prior work has found that gang-affiliated women experience high rates of interpersonal and community violence. Thus, it is crucial to understand the post-gang consequences of gang-involvement for mothers. This study addresses this gap by focusing on the trails of violence – that is, women’s experiences of institutional violence after gang involvement. This study draws from life course and intersectionality theories to understand how racialized, gendered, and classed statuses relate to violence in the life trajectories of mothers after leaving the gang. The qualitative findings of this work are based on photo elicitation interviews of 13 formerly gang involved Latina mothers from Los Angeles, California. The findings suggest gang-affiliated mothers employ survival strategies at the level of their individual and collective agency to resist and cope with violence from the criminal justice and child welfare systems. This study’s findings also help to elaborate on recommendations for prevention and intervention that can be used to interrupt cycles of violence for gang-affiliated Latina mothers’ post-gang involvement and their children.

Author

• Katherine Lucia Maldonado, University of California-Riverside