Justice by Another Name

Chapter 10 tracks what women actually received from “running a case.” For the vast majority of claimants, the outcome was illicit: not something guaranteed through a court order but rather something outside the law’s environs. By “running a case,” women negotiated cash settlements, repossessed property, secured housing, found jobs, made new friends, enrolled in school and job training programs, learned to use public transport, felt more confident talking to law enforcement personnel, and used their newfound knowledge of the law to become a caseworker themselves. While these gains cannot be dismissed, this chapter also reveals that a mere handful of women actually secured legal rights.