Resistance Against Criminal Identities

“Because many residents at the motel did not distinguish between types of sex offenders, a sex-offense conviction was automatically equated with victimization of a child…. Therefore parolees and those with sexual offense histories took different steps to resist the stigma of their offenses and create boundaries between themselves and the pedophile label.” — Christopher Dum

This week, our featured book is Exiled in America: Life on the Margins in a Residential Motel, by Christopher P. Dum. Today, for the final post of the week’s feature, we have excerpted “Resistance Against Criminal Identities,” part of the book’s third chapter, in which Dum explains the stigmas (or, sometimes, the surprising lack thereof) associated with the criminal records of inhabitants of the Boardwalk Motel.

Don’t forget to enter our book giveaway for a chance to win a free copy of Exiled in America.