In the spring 2014 edition of Member Profiles we are featuring Elaina Behounek, a Ph.D. student in sociology at University of South Florida, and April Bernard, an Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice at Chicago State University.
ELAINA BEHOUNEK
How did you become interested in the field of women and/or gender and crime?
Growing up I was surrounded by inspirational feminists, especially my mother, who always encouraged me to work for equality. My desire to help women came full circle when I was an undergraduate at the University of Tennessee. I took a course that had a service-learning component. I was able to volunteer with a local Rape Crisis organization where I found my calling. From that moment, I decided I would spend my career helping bring awareness to issues like domestic violence and sexual assault in hopes of ending this horrific social ill.
How do you define yourself as a scholar/activist/educator?
I define myself as an action oriented scholar whose platform is often in the classroom.
What are your current projects or interests?
I am working on two projects. I am working on my thesis data to craft a publication focusing on domestic violence and sexual assault victim advocates. I am in the dissertation stage of my career working on an ethnography of family law mediation.
Who is your favorite person (or animal!) to spend time with, and what are your favorite things to do when you are with them?
My favorite animal to spend time with is my loyal dog, Kuma. We’ve been together since he opened his eyes 10 long years ago. He is my constant companion. When I am having a bad day he is always there to cheer me up. He is, in fact, lying under my feet as I type this ☺
How do you wind down after a stressful day?
Exercise! I love to be outside (lucky for me I live in Florida). I am an avid mountain biker. I spend much of my time riding (and wrecking) on my bicycle. I also like to hike, run and stay active in any way I can.
What obstacles do you feel you have overcome to be where you are today?
I grew up in a poor family in a community with limited opportunities. High school was a difficult time for me and I almost lost control. With the help of many mentors and patient individuals I was able to work my way to achieving an Associate’s degree while working 40 or more hours a week. I went on to get my Bachelors degree while continuing to work full time. I then went into the work world for a few years where my passion was ignited for education and social change, pushing me to earn my Master’s degree in Sociology. I am now working on my PhD in Sociology. It has been an incredibly long journey but I could not be more proud of my accomplishments.
What would you like to be remembered for?
For being a good person. We are only here for a moment in an eternity. I want to make an impact that can help future generations. I hope my work for human rights can impact policy and people in such a way that I make positive change for the future. Ultimately, I would like to end domestic violence and sexual assault.
What is one of your lifelong goals?
I would like to earn my PhD and obtain a career where I can create long lasting social change.
Is there a website where we can send people for more information about you?
http://sociology.usf.edu/graduate/ebehounek
APRIL BERNARD
How did you become interested in the field of women and/or gender and crime?
My interest in the field of women, gender, and crime originated while I was working on my master’s thesis at the University of Illinois at Chicagowhich focused on alternative communities and substance abuse treatment for African-American male ex-offenders. While conducting my research several women with criminal histories also informally shared their stories with me; I was struck by how the women spoke of the ways in which both interpersonal and structural violence affected their lives. Motivated by the stories of these women, I became an instructor in program that provided job training and placement services for homeless women who were victims of intimate partner violence and/or had criminal histories. I have many fond memories of the women that I encountered throughout this program; I was their instructor, and they were my teachers.
While working on my doctorate at Northwestern University, I began working with human services, welfare, homeless services, and public housing reform initiatives that centered on women and children in Chicago, and designed policies, programs, and community-based collaborations that were centered upon women, children and family services for those most vulnerable to poverty and homelessness, particularly those with criminal histories. I have maintained this focus throughout my career, as an academic and consultant working on several crime and gender based initiatives in the Caribbean including the first report on Gender Policy in Belize, and the first United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Human Development Report on Crime and Citizen Security in the Caribbean. Throughout my work in the Caribbean and upon my return to the United States, I remain deeply motivated by the women who took and continue to take time to share with me their stories.
How do you define yourself as a scholar/activist/educator?
I define myself as a combination of scholar, activist, educator, and learner, and of these purposeful learning is the first priority. I desire to teach and conduct research to continually learn for the purpose of influencing meaningful policy, programmatic, individual, communal, and structural responses to the needs of women and children, particularly those with criminal histories who are returning to the community or at risk of incarceration.
What are your current projects or interests?
As a Northwestern graduate, I am a believer in assets-based community development. I see communities as a combination of assets that can be mobilized and augmented to address practical issues. I have applied this model in multiple settings here and abroad, to address a variety of issues, and it works. Currently, I am working to applying this strategy to mobilize resources for reentering persons. I am also fascinated with the possibilities for peacemaking criminology and community justice practices as alternative (or at minimum, complementary) approaches to social justice and citizen security and have become actively engaged in peace and restorative justice circles.
Who is your favorite person (or animal!) to spend time with, and what are your favorite things to do when you are with them?
I have the great fortune of not being able to answer this question at the risk of offending all of the favorite persons I have in my life. I do enjoy animals, and wish I had a few favorite ones that I could avoid offending, but I like to travel too much to be a good host. In general, I enjoy everything and nothing with my favorite people; my enjoyment is more in the being than the doing.
How do you wind down after a stressful day?
I am not a routine type of person, so there is not a typical activity I do to wind down, although a piece of really good chocolate tends to help me focus on what is really important in life.
What obstacles do you feel you have overcome to be where you are today?
I don’t see myself as being at a particular place that is different from where I have been as a result of overcoming obstacles. I see obstacles as lessons about life and the potential for change that affect my awareness. I think the biggest obstacle I have had to face has been not trusting in my own voice earlier in life.
What would you like to be remembered for?
I would like to be remembered for being a good-person who inspired others to take time to be good to themselves and others and to see/know themselves in others as intentional steps toward personal and social transformation.
What is one of your lifelong goals?
I want to be a prolific writer about women, peacemaking, community, and personal and social transformation.
Is there a website where we can send people for more information about you?
No, there is no website, but it is on my list of lifelong goals.
What are one or two of your publications that you feel best represent your work?
Bernard, A. (2013). “The Intersectional Alternative: Explaining Female Criminality.” Feminist Criminology, 8 (1): 3 – 19.
Bernard, A. (2013). “The Twenty-First-Century Caribbean Woman’s Question: What is the Meaning of Freedom?” In A. Cobley and V. Simpson (Eds.), Trajectories of Freedom, (pp. 192 – 208). Kingston, Jamaica: University of the West Indies Press.