IEFV | Benjamin Weiss - The Price of Justice: Money and the Limits of Sexual Violence Lawsuits

The UC Irvine Initiative to End Family Violence Welcomes Professor Benjamin Weiss to discuss his book, The Price of Justice: Money and the Limits of Sexual Violence Lawsuits (UC Press).

Publisher's Description
Given an unpredictable criminal legal system and a fraying social safety net, sexual violence victims increasingly turn to civil lawsuits to find justice. They sue offenders and responsible organizations directly, seeking recognition, resources, and reform. But at what cost? Benjamin R. Weiss uses in-depth interviews and legal case analysis to reveal how the civil legal system's reliance on financial compensation to remedy sexual harm limits who can seek civil justice and on what terms. He shows that instead of delivering justice, the process often deepens inequalities and compounds suffering, especially for those most in need. In The Price of Justice, Weiss offers victims, advocates, and academics alike an astute assessment of the law's promise to rectify harm and redistribute power—and inspires readers to imagine what it would take to meet all victims' needs and drive lasting social change.

About the Author
Benjamin Weiss is an Associate Professor of Sociology at Occidental College. He specializes in gender, sex, and sexualities; crime, law, and deviance; and organizations; investigating the unintended consequences of well-intentioned efforts to solve social problems, with gender-based violence as a central case.

His current research examines how professionals across three institutional fields—healthcare, the criminal legal system, and schools—respond to young people's changing sexual behaviors. A second line of research investigates how social movements travel across national borders, focusing on queer ballroom scenes in Europe.

His work appears in Criminology, Law & Society Review, Social Problems, and Theory and Society, among other venues. He received his Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Southern California.

To request reasonable accommodations for a disability, please email centers@law.uci.edu.

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