“Prison Girlies” and the Pop Cultural Commodification of Carcerality

• In Event: Consuming Carcerality: The Ethics, Tourism, and Pop Cultural Commodification of Carceral Spaces

Abstract

For decades, the carceral system has made its way into the pop culture sphere. From television shows such as CSI, Criminal Minds, and How to Get Away with Murder to podcasts like Crime Junkie and My Favorite Murder. While these shows and podcasts have captivated a wide audience, there is something unique about the white, female obsession with true crime that perpetuates harmful myths and stereotypes about the criminal legal system and those who are incarcerated. Utilizing an intersectional lens, we provide a theoretical discussion of the phenomenon we name “Prison Girlies.” Specially, we draw on examples from pop culture that are geared directly toward white women including “If I Go Missing” packets for sale online to “improve safety,” and CrimeCon, a conference that glamorizes “true crime,” with an emphasis on the fetishization of prisons and incarceration. We provide implications for research on fear of crime and public perceptions of incarceration, as well as possibilities for combatting these issues in the classroom and as public criminologists.

Authors

• Nicole McKenna, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY

• Alessandra Early, John Jay College of Criminal Justice

• Lucas Alan Dietsche, Institute for Doctoral Studies for Visual Arts

• Alison Cox, East Carolina University

• Ashley Kilmer, Towson University