“Six Months Is a Joke”: Carceral Feminism and Penal Populism in the Wake of the Stanford Sexual Assault Case

Abstract

This article analyzes coverage of the Stanford, California rape case, using a qualitative thematic press analysis to demonstrate how “rape culture” and penal populist framing intersected. Pulling from national newspapers, as well as diverse online fora, we show how characteristics of the case such as the perceived leniency toward the accused were featured in rape culture and penal populist narratives. In addition, we document a counternarrative that critiqued feminism to pit antirape activists against justice reformers, framing the case as exemplifying a “culture of mass incarceration.” We discuss the significance of this in the context of broader justice reform.