“I Feel Caged in a Different Way”: Carceral Entanglements and the Punitive Realities of Seeking Safety for Sex Workers

Sex workers are at risk of state violence, surveillance, and becoming justice-involved. This risk is exacerbated by the criminalization of sex work and pro-criminalization efforts to rescue sex trafficking victims. Using the theoretical foundations of the carceral creep, the shadow state, and carceral protectionism/humanitarianism, interviews were conducted with 34 sex workers. Participants described impacts of carceral entanglements , which appeared in two distinct ways: 1. The over-reliance and failure of traditional legal avenues for addressing GBV and 2. The mimicking of carceral praxis within gender-based violence agencies.