| STIGMA
CRIMINAL STIGMA GETS NEGOTIATED AND CONTESTED IN EVERYDAY SETTINGS.
People who are labelled as criminal have long been stigmatized as dishonest, untrustworthy and otherwise disreputable – and must constantly work to counter this perception. Unlike stigmas that are seen as the result of accident or birth, criminal stigma is considered less deserving of social empathy or legal protection.
ARTICLE
People with criminal records seeking employment face a dilemma: how to discuss their conviction(s) in a job interview. Rather than challenge criminalizing practices or stigma itself, job seekers are encouraged to dissociate from criminal stigma and develop narratives that reinforce dominant frameworks of personal responsibility, remorse, and rehabilitation. This article explores how criminalized people could craft scripts that contribute to their liberation.
