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Imperfect Victims: Criminalized Survivors and the Promise of Abolition Feminism
A profound, compelling argument for abolition feminism--to protect criminalized survivors of gender-based violence, we must dismantle the carceral system.
Since the 1970s, anti-violence advocates have worked to make the legal system more responsive to gender-based violence. But greater state intervention in cases of intimate partner violence, rape, sexual assault, and trafficking has led to the arrest, prosecution, conviction, and incarceration of victims, particularly women of color and trans and gender-nonconforming people. Imperfect Victims argues that only dismantling the system will bring that punishment to an end.
Amplifying the voices of survivors, including her own clients, abolitionist law professor Leigh Goodmark deftly guides readers on a step-by-step journey through the criminalization of survival. Abolition feminism reveals the possibility of a just world beyond the carceral state, which is fundamentally unable to respond to, let alone remedy, harm. As Imperfect Victims shows, abolition feminism is the only politics and practice that can undo the indescribable damage inflicted on survivors by the very system purporting to protect them.
Since the 1970s, anti-violence advocates have worked to make the legal system more responsive to gender-based violence. But greater state intervention in cases of intimate partner violence, rape, sexual assault, and trafficking has led to the arrest, prosecution, conviction, and incarceration of victims, particularly women of color and trans and gender-nonconforming people. Imperfect Victims argues that only dismantling the system will bring that punishment to an end.
Amplifying the voices of survivors, including her own clients, abolitionist law professor Leigh Goodmark deftly guides readers on a step-by-step journey through the criminalization of survival. Abolition feminism reveals the possibility of a just world beyond the carceral state, which is fundamentally unable to respond to, let alone remedy, harm. As Imperfect Victims shows, abolition feminism is the only politics and practice that can undo the indescribable damage inflicted on survivors by the very system purporting to protect them.
296 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 31, 2023
21 people are currently reading
1044 people want to read
About the author
Leigh Goodmark
9 books31 followersLeigh Goodmark is Director of the Gender Violence Clinic and a Professor of Law at the University of Maryland Carey School of Law.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
March 16, 2025
One of the most compelling, heartbreaking, and informative books I have ever read. Truly I did not understand the scope of violence that the criminal legal system enacts against survivors of rape, domestic violence, and sex trafficking until reading this book. Each case study and experience of the women whose stories populate this book broke something within me, and with each page, I hated prosecutors and judges and the whole damn court system more and more. The endurance of each of these women through the torture of their lives and then the abuse of imprisonment is beyond conceiving of; it's astonishing and a testament to the strength of women and survivors. A strength that should not need to exist, but nonetheless.
This guilty as hell, woman-hating institution of the courts will genuinely lock up women for longer than their male partners who abused them and coerced them into committing crimes, even when it was their male partner who actually did the murdering and she did not. INSANE! CRIMINAL!!!!! All of the statistics and the constant inclusion of the anti-Black, racist, and homophobic and transphobic nature inherent to the criminal legal system were deeply disturbing, and crucial to the argument. Each aspect of criminalization, from the process of juvenile detention to the insane racket that is the parole and appeals system gets articulated in detail and in simple, plain language that is so infuriating and heartbreaking that I could barely contain my shock and rage while reading it.
While we may all in theory be aware of the immense harm the criminal legal system produces on society and women, the concrete and specific nature of this book allows us to see how every single detail and aspect of the criminal legal system exists to criminalize survivors who use necessary violence against or are coerced into criminal activities by evil men. Somehow, as much as the descriptions of the torture that these women defendants were subjected to by their abusers, rapists, and pimps were devastating and horrifying, the way that prosecutors, judges, and parole board members spoke about and treated these women were even more disgusting. It makes me angry as hell and furious on the behalf of every single woman locked up in prison.
I'm so excited to talk to Leigh about this book later at lesbian feminist book club discussion, and it was a privilege to narrate the first four chapters and introduction of this book via my amateur audiobook adventures for the book club as well. Please read this book! I guarantee you will learn exactly why and how feminism must necessarily be abolitionist.
This guilty as hell, woman-hating institution of the courts will genuinely lock up women for longer than their male partners who abused them and coerced them into committing crimes, even when it was their male partner who actually did the murdering and she did not. INSANE! CRIMINAL!!!!! All of the statistics and the constant inclusion of the anti-Black, racist, and homophobic and transphobic nature inherent to the criminal legal system were deeply disturbing, and crucial to the argument. Each aspect of criminalization, from the process of juvenile detention to the insane racket that is the parole and appeals system gets articulated in detail and in simple, plain language that is so infuriating and heartbreaking that I could barely contain my shock and rage while reading it.
While we may all in theory be aware of the immense harm the criminal legal system produces on society and women, the concrete and specific nature of this book allows us to see how every single detail and aspect of the criminal legal system exists to criminalize survivors who use necessary violence against or are coerced into criminal activities by evil men. Somehow, as much as the descriptions of the torture that these women defendants were subjected to by their abusers, rapists, and pimps were devastating and horrifying, the way that prosecutors, judges, and parole board members spoke about and treated these women were even more disgusting. It makes me angry as hell and furious on the behalf of every single woman locked up in prison.
I'm so excited to talk to Leigh about this book later at lesbian feminist book club discussion, and it was a privilege to narrate the first four chapters and introduction of this book via my amateur audiobook adventures for the book club as well. Please read this book! I guarantee you will learn exactly why and how feminism must necessarily be abolitionist.
March 6, 2023
Imperfect Victims: Criminalized Survivors and the Promise of Abolition Feminism was honestly an absolutely brutal read. I am very selective about the kinds of heavy trauma and triggering content I expose myself to these days. I don't run from it all, but I don't drown myself in it to the point of exhaustion like I used to (and used to believe I had to.) The reason this book made the cut is that I believe it adds something important to the general discourse around abuse, sexual violence, punishment, and imprisonment outside of the current way these things are often framed.
The book began as Leigh Goodmark's attempted project at working with incarcerated victims to create a book together about their stories. Maryland's Correctional Department squashed the idea and the participants agreed that Goodmark should tell their stories for them. Much of the book is just that- telling the stories of criminalized survivors of violence who either retaliated violently against abusers or were forced to break the law by them. This is what made the book so difficult. You can't really have this discussion without talking about what happened to these women. I actually would have loved to see the book written by them in a more memoir format. But, I also wonder how much the scholarly nature of this book allowed me enough detachment to make it through.
The reason I say that this adds something important is that I have been around a lot of various processes, legal and not, regarding abuse and sexual violence. There is an urge on the part of those helping survivors to paint them as angels and those who abused them as the opposite, both of them existing in some one dimensional war with one another. This is well intentioned, but fails immediately when the survivor does something human- making a mistake, showing a flaw, or even just doing something strange or non-normative. Goodmark discusses the ways that survivors can both be victims of violence and also have flaws and take actions that may or may not be defensible morally or legally. I am not saying that this has never been done- people have discussed this for as long as I can remember. But, in more mainstream systemic settings like law and academia, many people need this.
The parts of the book that were slightly easier to make it through was Goodmark's detailing and analysis of prison and criminal (in)justice systems. Again, it is not that no one has ever discussed this, but the combination of topics mixed with these womens own words is an important collection of ideas that makes them more salient and urgent. Goodmark shows just how much the system is stacked against survivors, punishing them for the abuse they suffered, often after the same system ignored their pleas for help. It punishes the victims of trafficking and it punishes women who act in self defense. Issues of race, gender, and sexuality also play very large roles in who is believed and how women are characterized.
Goodmark makes a strong effort to include information about transgender people in these systems. It was refreshing to see this kind of inclusion in a legal text because these experiences are so often forgotten. I did find her overall analysis of non-cis/het relationships to be lacking. There is one very brief mention of a lesbian woman's horrific experience through abuse by her partner and then the system's criminalization of her. But, I would have liked to see more discussion about same gender (or perceived as such) relationships and how the system will often treat these instances of violence in differently screwed up ways. It also is important in general for those of us in these communities to remember our communities' own capacities for violence- that it is not limited to straight people or hetero partnerships.
The last section of the book offers important criticisms of prison-centered, reformist, non-solutions to these problems, showing how they strengthen rather than disrupt the system. There is also a small discussion of solutions that are based in abolition. This is a good section, but it likely could have been longer. However, thinking of the author's description of the idea for the book, it makes sense that it's more focused on sharing experiences rather than a handbook of solutions (despite the byline which the author may not have chosen.)
There were a couple of things that I would have liked more of her thoughts on. I agree with pretty much everything she discusses. I agree that abuse and violence create situations where victims have to take criminalized action. However, the argument that abuse is a reasoning for an action seems like it could backfire (and already does.) We regularly see abusers turn around and accuse victims and in lgbtq circles or in unexpected power dynamic relationships (a woman abusing a man, a disabled person abusing an abled person, etc,) this can really make those outside the situation struggle to understand it. It also could be said that some abusers abuse because they were also abused. In cis/het partnerships, there is an obvious power dynamic and the abuse often goes in one direction, but not always. In many LGBTQ relationships, gender roles are more complicated. I am not entirely sure what my exact question is. Having seen radical accountability efforts range in everything from very clear cut to extremely confusing, I am curious about where one draws the line in these arguments. I am also curious if Goodmark has opinions on how to stop the abusers. Goodmark obviously is pro-abolition, so what does the other side of the solution look like with violent men (and others?) And, how do we wade through muddier waters where accusations are flying in multiple directions? Again, this is not the thesis of the book, just things I thought of regularly that I would like to pick her brain about.
Overall, Imperfect Victims should be read with care, but also should be given your attention if you're up for it. This is especially true for people who have not survived abuse and/or the prison system and for those who have any role in the legal process. The information in this book is hidden from most people in the USA who get their information from legal and crime dramas or terrible local news segments. I am grateful for all of the women who shared the stories included in this book and I hope that all of them who are still surviving get to live the rest of their lives with as little suffering as can be possible in this awful punitive system.
This was also posted to my blog.
The book began as Leigh Goodmark's attempted project at working with incarcerated victims to create a book together about their stories. Maryland's Correctional Department squashed the idea and the participants agreed that Goodmark should tell their stories for them. Much of the book is just that- telling the stories of criminalized survivors of violence who either retaliated violently against abusers or were forced to break the law by them. This is what made the book so difficult. You can't really have this discussion without talking about what happened to these women. I actually would have loved to see the book written by them in a more memoir format. But, I also wonder how much the scholarly nature of this book allowed me enough detachment to make it through.
The reason I say that this adds something important is that I have been around a lot of various processes, legal and not, regarding abuse and sexual violence. There is an urge on the part of those helping survivors to paint them as angels and those who abused them as the opposite, both of them existing in some one dimensional war with one another. This is well intentioned, but fails immediately when the survivor does something human- making a mistake, showing a flaw, or even just doing something strange or non-normative. Goodmark discusses the ways that survivors can both be victims of violence and also have flaws and take actions that may or may not be defensible morally or legally. I am not saying that this has never been done- people have discussed this for as long as I can remember. But, in more mainstream systemic settings like law and academia, many people need this.
The parts of the book that were slightly easier to make it through was Goodmark's detailing and analysis of prison and criminal (in)justice systems. Again, it is not that no one has ever discussed this, but the combination of topics mixed with these womens own words is an important collection of ideas that makes them more salient and urgent. Goodmark shows just how much the system is stacked against survivors, punishing them for the abuse they suffered, often after the same system ignored their pleas for help. It punishes the victims of trafficking and it punishes women who act in self defense. Issues of race, gender, and sexuality also play very large roles in who is believed and how women are characterized.
Goodmark makes a strong effort to include information about transgender people in these systems. It was refreshing to see this kind of inclusion in a legal text because these experiences are so often forgotten. I did find her overall analysis of non-cis/het relationships to be lacking. There is one very brief mention of a lesbian woman's horrific experience through abuse by her partner and then the system's criminalization of her. But, I would have liked to see more discussion about same gender (or perceived as such) relationships and how the system will often treat these instances of violence in differently screwed up ways. It also is important in general for those of us in these communities to remember our communities' own capacities for violence- that it is not limited to straight people or hetero partnerships.
The last section of the book offers important criticisms of prison-centered, reformist, non-solutions to these problems, showing how they strengthen rather than disrupt the system. There is also a small discussion of solutions that are based in abolition. This is a good section, but it likely could have been longer. However, thinking of the author's description of the idea for the book, it makes sense that it's more focused on sharing experiences rather than a handbook of solutions (despite the byline which the author may not have chosen.)
There were a couple of things that I would have liked more of her thoughts on. I agree with pretty much everything she discusses. I agree that abuse and violence create situations where victims have to take criminalized action. However, the argument that abuse is a reasoning for an action seems like it could backfire (and already does.) We regularly see abusers turn around and accuse victims and in lgbtq circles or in unexpected power dynamic relationships (a woman abusing a man, a disabled person abusing an abled person, etc,) this can really make those outside the situation struggle to understand it. It also could be said that some abusers abuse because they were also abused. In cis/het partnerships, there is an obvious power dynamic and the abuse often goes in one direction, but not always. In many LGBTQ relationships, gender roles are more complicated. I am not entirely sure what my exact question is. Having seen radical accountability efforts range in everything from very clear cut to extremely confusing, I am curious about where one draws the line in these arguments. I am also curious if Goodmark has opinions on how to stop the abusers. Goodmark obviously is pro-abolition, so what does the other side of the solution look like with violent men (and others?) And, how do we wade through muddier waters where accusations are flying in multiple directions? Again, this is not the thesis of the book, just things I thought of regularly that I would like to pick her brain about.
Overall, Imperfect Victims should be read with care, but also should be given your attention if you're up for it. This is especially true for people who have not survived abuse and/or the prison system and for those who have any role in the legal process. The information in this book is hidden from most people in the USA who get their information from legal and crime dramas or terrible local news segments. I am grateful for all of the women who shared the stories included in this book and I hope that all of them who are still surviving get to live the rest of their lives with as little suffering as can be possible in this awful punitive system.
This was also posted to my blog.
March 17, 2025
if reading this doesn’t radicalize idk what will. this is a must read for literally everyone.
you can’t have feminism without abolition, leigh goodmark speak on it!!!
you can’t have feminism without abolition, leigh goodmark speak on it!!!
March 16, 2025
4.75 rounded up
i haven’t been this genuinely enraged in a while which i think is good. this should make anyone upset! using rage against systems as place a fuel to fight against the systems it’s good! i think that means the book has done its job because we should all be angry when we’re exposed to injustices.
this book does the thing that i really dislike when it comes to abolition conversations though. it stops it and goes vague as it’s about to get uncomfortable or tougher. in the last chapter, it brings things together and i think anyone with half a drop of empathy in them can get behind the idea of abolition in the context of criminalized survivors, petty criminals and all that but then when we’re talking about other types of criminals that aren’t so easily spoken about (the ones doing the domestic abusing, trafficking, the pedos etc)…it’s feels like a flick of the wrist. yeah i get it these things will go away/go down a lot when we address other systems but i genuinely don’t understand like is the abolition take that they won’t exist so we won’t have to deal with it? that the community will understand? like you can say we have a lack of imagination all you want but if you’re trying to convince the average person for total abolition (because yes, the average person are the ones going to be building the revolution), they’re gonna want proper answers and security.
i don’t expect this book to answer all that because it’s made its focus very clear and it did exactly what it needed to do so consider that upper portion just a side rant anyone can respond to if they happen to come across this
i haven’t been this genuinely enraged in a while which i think is good. this should make anyone upset! using rage against systems as place a fuel to fight against the systems it’s good! i think that means the book has done its job because we should all be angry when we’re exposed to injustices.
this book does the thing that i really dislike when it comes to abolition conversations though. it stops it and goes vague as it’s about to get uncomfortable or tougher. in the last chapter, it brings things together and i think anyone with half a drop of empathy in them can get behind the idea of abolition in the context of criminalized survivors, petty criminals and all that but then when we’re talking about other types of criminals that aren’t so easily spoken about (the ones doing the domestic abusing, trafficking, the pedos etc)…it’s feels like a flick of the wrist. yeah i get it these things will go away/go down a lot when we address other systems but i genuinely don’t understand like is the abolition take that they won’t exist so we won’t have to deal with it? that the community will understand? like you can say we have a lack of imagination all you want but if you’re trying to convince the average person for total abolition (because yes, the average person are the ones going to be building the revolution), they’re gonna want proper answers and security.
i don’t expect this book to answer all that because it’s made its focus very clear and it did exactly what it needed to do so consider that upper portion just a side rant anyone can respond to if they happen to come across this
April 26, 2025
a harrowing but essential read for anyone who considers themselves a feminist; this book details the full extent to which the criminal legal system has never and will never free us from patriarchal violence! reading survivors’ stories was extremely difficult at times, so please check trigger warnings
March 27, 2025
Goodmark doesn't state anything I didn't already read from Angela Davis and Ruth Wilson Gilmore but her words are clear and the specific survivors' stories she highlighted were interesting (and sad) to read
November 13, 2023
(read for school) This was such a challenge to read, but so so important. My view of the criminal legal system is forever changed.
April 4, 2025
such an insightful look into how the US legal system treats women, would love to have something like this from a German pov
October 7, 2025
was some trauma dumping but i like the abolition framework
June 11, 2023
Must-read for anyone working in or around the criminal justice system. Goodmark challenges the victim/criminal dichotomy and exposes how this false delineation regularly incarcerates women who are victims of violence.
The one thing I would’ve liked to read more about is how Goodmark would handle male perpetrators of domestic violence in an abolitionist world. She makes it clear how the current system causes more harm towards women who committed crimes because they were victims of violence, but how does abolition work for the men who initiate the cycle of abuse? Power does not easily let go of itself. I have doubts that men would be motivated to become better if there is not an incentive to do so.
The one thing I would’ve liked to read more about is how Goodmark would handle male perpetrators of domestic violence in an abolitionist world. She makes it clear how the current system causes more harm towards women who committed crimes because they were victims of violence, but how does abolition work for the men who initiate the cycle of abuse? Power does not easily let go of itself. I have doubts that men would be motivated to become better if there is not an incentive to do so.
August 14, 2025
fuck every judge, prosecutor and cop in this book. The way they talked about survivors (and always keep their jobs!) is sickening. Every case study in here was more horrific than the last and I’m sure there’s countless more examples in the U.S. These women going to prison after killing their abuser of YEARS is horrendous- us punishing rather than protecting victims of sex trafficking is crazy (you can be a MINOR and be arrested for prostitution- FUCK THAT. That literally requires a judge to tell a CHILD they weren’t raped- like… what the fuck is our world??). The system is so unbelievably fucked and it’s laid out so so well in this book. This was so informative and made me absolutely rage. We truly can’t fix this system. It’s not meant to protect women/survivors/minors/minorities- it’s meant to police and degrade! The prevalence of SA against women/TGNC is terrifying and I’ve always known stats of SA are wayyy underestimated. We need more resources for survivors of SA/abuse.
The discussion of already being a survivor and then being re-traumatized in prisons is so awful. I can only imagine the stats of abuse in prison are SOOO underestimated- who TF is going to listen to those women- they’ve already been proven as “criminals,” and, “liars,” the thought that they could ever get justice in that setting is naive. The guards are going to protect themselves. Being a locked up woman/TGNC person is truly the scariest things I can imagine.
The discussion of already being a survivor and then being re-traumatized in prisons is so awful. I can only imagine the stats of abuse in prison are SOOO underestimated- who TF is going to listen to those women- they’ve already been proven as “criminals,” and, “liars,” the thought that they could ever get justice in that setting is naive. The guards are going to protect themselves. Being a locked up woman/TGNC person is truly the scariest things I can imagine.
August 10, 2023
This book is a call-to-action! I learned so much in Imperfect Victims. Leigh's argument to dismantle a system that criminalizes victims is incredibly compelling. This was certainly a heavy read, riddled with really horrific stories of people who have been wronged by the system at various stages, but these stories unveil the depth and severity of the systemic problems that Leigh describes.
April 8, 2024
In full transparency, I did not read every chapter, but I will 100% come back to read and reread multiple portions of this piece. This is an incredible (but emotionally taxing) read for anyone interested in criminal justice, intimate partner violence, and the legal dynamics between the victim/perpetrator. And, of course, abolition.
April 9, 2023
This book does an excellent job of explaining how criminalized survivors of gender-based violence experience violence from the criminal legal system, why trying to reform the system is problematic, and why abolition is the path to justice and the prevention of violence.
November 20, 2023
This is hard to read in the ways that survivors’ stories are hard to read. The examples are powerful and I am frustrated as ever with our criminal legal system and the ridiculous number of laws and policies we have in place to address a problem that can’t be addressed through law and policy.
May 21, 2023
This book powerfully weaves together the real stories of criminalized survivors of gender-based violence with critical data, law, policy and theory, all in an incredibly readable and accessible way.
March 15, 2025
Readable and very compelling!
July 30, 2025
very well written and an easily accessible introduction to abolition. and fuck andrew cuomo.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews