A Sept. 24 lecture at Rogers State University will explore myriad issues surrounding imprisoned women in Oklahoma, which has long led the nation in female incarceration rates.
University of Oklahoma sociology professor Dr. Susan F. Sharp, who authored the book “Mean Lives, Mean Laws,” will speak at 11:45 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 24 at the Dr. Carolyn Taylor Center Ballroom on the Claremore campus. A question-and-answer session will follow. The event is free and seating is available for the public. The event will also be live-streamed @rsulibraries on Facebook.
Dr. Sharp is David Ross Boyd Professor of Sociology and Presidential Professor Emerita at OU, as well as affiliate faculty in Women’s and Gender Studies. She is also a faculty fellow with the College of Liberal Studies, the Department of Human Relations, and the Organizational Leadership Program. Her research focuses on female crime and deviance, the incarceration of women, and the impact of corrections policies on families of offenders. She has served on the executive board of the American Society of Criminology and was the founding editor of Feminist Criminology, the official journal of the Division on Women and Crime of the American Society of Criminology.
Her book “Mean Lives, Mean Laws” examines what led Oklahoma to incarcerate more women than any other state. Through innovative methodology that combines statistical rigor with extensive personal interviews, Dr. Sharp shows how female incarceration affects not only individuals, but also families and communities. Putting a human face on a growing social problem, “Mean Lives, Mean Laws” raises important questions about both the state of Oklahoma and the state of the nation.
Copies of the book will be available for sale after the event.
For more information, contact Christi Mackey at [email protected].