Meda Chesney-Lind, Ph.D.
Dr. Chesney-Lind is a criminologist with an abiding interest in the situations of women who become embroiled in the criminal justice system, whether as victims, offenders, or workers. She teaches courses that focus on the sociology of gender and women and crime. Over the years, she has developed a special concern for girls and the juvenile justice system, having studied how frequently the system fails to address their needs. Currently, Dr. Chesney-Lind is continuing to try to imagine a 21st century criminology that focuses on reducing injustice and inequality.
She is nationally recognized for her work on women and crime, and her testimony before Congress resulted in national support of gender responsive programming for girls in the juvenile justice system. Her most recent book on girls’ use of violence, Fighting for Girls (co-edited with Nikki Jones), won an award from the National Council on Crime and Delinquency for “focusing America’s attention on the complex problems of the criminal and juvenile justice systems.” The Western Society of Criminology named an award in her honor recognizing "significant contributions to the field of gender, crime and justice," and designated her as the inaugural recipient in 2013.
Dr. Chesney-Lind's recent publications include:
- Chesney‐Lind, M. (2020). Feminist criminology in an era of misogyny *. Criminology. DOI: 10.1111/1745-9125.12247.
- Chesney-Lind, M. (2019). Abortion Politics and the Persistence of Patriarchy.