The occupant of the cell, a 20-year-old African-American woman, Joan Little, who had been serving a seven-year sentence for robbery was nowhere to be found. “No stranger to the stereotypes about black women, Joan Little knew how the scene would look. Little later surrendered to authorities with the help of local attorney Jerry Paul, after being declared a murderer and a fugitive. In 1989, Little resurfaced when she spent a night in jail on stolen property charges that were later dropped. Though she left the public scene afterwards, her case brought to the fore sexual abuse of women in many oppressive systems such as the prison.

Source: The North Africa Journal September 06, 2018 15:00 UTC