| Description |
Scholars, such as Michelle Alexandra and Angela Y. Davis, and activists alike have begun to voice the inequitable conditions through which people of color are funneled into the prison industrial complex and laws are racially biased, so as to relegate people of color to a space of invisibility. It is imperative to understand how this conversation relates to LGBTQIA identities within particular locales. This research project examined the intersections of race, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic class, and age as they relate to LGBTQIA youth in Utah who were engaged in the juvenile legal system prior to turning eighteen, using Hirschi's Theory of Social Bonds to analyze the ways in which community, community orientation, and community bonds prevent "deviant" behavior. In order to understand these unique experiences, semi-structured interviews were conducted with individuals who self-identify as LGBTQIA and were at one point involved in the juvenile legal system. The study is a qualitative report on the abuse, trauma, and victimization that these youth have faced in their unique experience, as well as the ways in which they entered the system. The interviews conducted found that socioeconomic class more than any other identity played an immense factor for these youth in entering into the juvenile legal system. They also found that community organizations, counseling, support groups, familial relations, and welfare programs all aid in rehabilitation and reorientation to an individual's community. These results support further research into the effects of the prison industrial complex as well as changes within Salt Lake County, Utah, such as contraceptive dispersal, sex education programs, increased funding for community organizations, and increased funding for welfare programs. |
