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Member
Profiles
For this new issue
of DivisioNews, I thought it would be
appropriate to profile our new Editor, Kristin
Winokur. I am so glad that she agreed despite
all the hours she has put into producing this
issue, and I hope you find her contributions
informative.
If you'd like
to be "profiled" for an upcoming issue, please
contact me at your earliest convenience. This
includes new and seasoned scholars, graduate
students, and non-academic professionals. Please
don't be shy! If you haven't learned it by now,
self-promotion is key here so please take this
opportunity to tell the rest of us about yourself.
Because I'll be transitioning between universities
this summer, I'd appreciate hearing from you
within the next month while the following email
address is still functional: angie.wan@uta.edu.
Thanks and Happy
Spring!
Angie Moe (previously
Wan)
Member Profile:
Kristin Winokur
I must admit, my
passion in life is research. In particular,
research on gender, delinquency and the juvenile
justice system. I have found that time and again
I am drawn to being a part of the system of
policy development and research analysis. For
many years I have worked within the system in
an effort to effect change. I know that many
times I've questioned the efficacy of this path,
but in the end I find that it has brought me
the most joy and an intimate understanding of
the inner workings of that which I study. My
research has reflected this passion, as I have
explored the utility of juvenile transfer policies,
the punitive ideology of the juvenile system,
the unique circumstances of delinquent girls,
and the life course trajectories both impacting
and resulting from juvenile justice education.
Those who know
me, realize I struggle with the constant desire
to explore more and more (than I can handle).
This has led to recent work on the impact of
domestic violence laws on girls' involvement
in the juvenile justice system and their own
violent offending. Alisa Smith and I are currently
in the process of drafting the first few chapters
of a book on victims' and advocates' opinions
on domestic violence policy with particular
emphasis on their attitudes about mandatory
reporting policies and the divergence in support
between victims and their advocates. For nearly
five years, Evelyn Zellerer and I have been
working on an all-consuming (and loving every
minute of it) study of girls in the "deep-end"
of Florida's juvenile justice system. Talk about
a trajectory - this is one we will continue
down likely for the rest of our careers (right
Evelyn?)! To borrow from Meda Chesney-Lind,
the marginalized experiences and worlds
in which these girls reside can no longer be
ignored within the confines of the juvenile
justice system or society. There is little doubt
that girls in Florida are often confined for
less serious offenses than their male counterparts
and are placed in facilities with little to
no provisions designed to address their unique
needs. Florida is beginning to respond. Many
in the juvenile and criminal justice systems
are willing to listen to recommendations and
base policy decisions on sound research. I have
recently become involved in the Florida Governor's
Commission on the Status of Women and am pleased
to work with a group so committed to improving
the programming and services available to delinquent
girls in Florida.
I am so blessed
to have found a career that I love. Seems I'm
most content when I am digging through a three-million
record database and pages upon pages of syntax
to try to identify patterns amidst it all. I
know, it's sad.
I am excited to
be working for the DWC DivisioNews and
am always open to suggestions and new ideas!
So let us know what you think and what you would
like to see.
Answers to
Questions
1) Why did you
get into this field?
I got into the
field largely because of two courses that I
took as an undergraduate at the University of
Florida. One was with a professor whose insights
into the realities of the death penalty and
experiences with Ted Bundy, left me motivated
to question further the social control functions
of our justice systems. The other involved a
course on the history of penology that so fascinated
me that I later found myself at the Newgate
Prison in Connecticut exploring firsthand the
practices used at the time to deal with incarcerated
prisoners. The same penology professor was instrumental
in my working as an intern at a secure residential
facility for boys. Scared me to death at first,
but then I was hooked and have been involved
with the system ever since.
2) How would
you define yourself as a scholar? teacher? activist?
I suppose I define
myself as a researcher committed to objective,
meaningful study and in turn as a teacher committed
to conveying my experiences and understanding
to my students. I see myself as an activist
for substantive qualitative and quantitative
research in gender, crime and delinquency, designed
to not only examine the theoretical underpinnings
of our fields, but also the corresponding policy
implications arising from our theory and research.
3) What are
your current projects or interests?
I mostly covered
the bulk of these projects above. I'm also excited
to be getting involved with a new project on
gender bias in the conceptualization and prosecution
of infanticide, with an eye toward an international
comparative analysis.
4) Do you have
any kids, pets, and/or significant partner?
I have been married
for 11 years to my wonderful husband and have
a beautiful son who is three years old now.
They are my everything.
5) How do you
wind down after a stressful day?
My husband and
I take our son to the playground -- swinging
is always great for stress!!
6) What is your
favorite word? Least favorite?
Favorite word:
excellent Least favorite: no (particularly as
said at least 100 times during my labor process
with my son!)
7) What is your
most embarrassing moment (if willing to share)?
Don't really have
one in particular (there are so many fun ones
to choose from). It was certainly pretty embarrassing
the first time I got up in front of a classroom
to lecture and began breaking out in a rash
and sweating so badly, that a student felt compelled
to get up and ask me if I was going to make
it. I did, but just barely. Thankfully, that
only happened once!
8) What is one
of your lifelong goals?
To balance the
often competing goals of achievement and happiness.
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