Episode Details
Back to EpisodesCOJ #183 - No 'Reasonable Woman': When Surviving Is the Crime With Author Justine van der Leun
Description
What happens when a woman survives the violence done to her — and the state punishes her for it?
This week, Investigative journalists Mandy Matney and Liz Farrell sit down with award-winning investigative journalist Justine van der Leun to talk about her new book, Unreasonable Women: Three Stories of Violence, Imprisonment, and Extraordinary Survival.
Over seven years, Justine mailed surveys to more than ten thousand incarcerated women and uncovered a pattern she calls “criminalized survival”: women who fought back against abusers, then watched the same system that failed to protect them work overtime to lock them away.
Through the stories of Tanisha, Jema, and TC — and the framing case of Nikki Addimando — she exposes the “reasonable man” standard quietly stacked against every woman who ever had to defend herself.
☕ Cups Up! ⚖️
Episode References
Meet the Marvelous Justine van der Leun & find where to buy her new book “Unreasonable Women” 📖
Give Justine a follow on Instagram, Threads, or TikTok 🌐
Read more about Nikki Addimando’s Case & listen to Believe Her Podcast 🎧
“Not Another Victim - I’m an Empowered Survivor Defendant” - Marissa Alexander’s TedTalk 🎞️
“Woman face harsher punishments when it comes to self-defense laws” - APA, April 1, 2025 📰
“No Choice but to Do It” - Pulitzer Center, Dec 17, 2020 📰
Stay Tuned, Stay Pesky and Stay in the Sunlight...☀️
Premium Members also get access to all new bonus episodes, video episodes, case files, live trial coverage and exclusive live experiences with our hosts. CLICK HERE to learn more and join with Promo Code "COJ25" for your first month free! https://bit.ly/3BdUtOE.
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