Carceral Feminism on Repeat

Film Quarterly contributing editor Laurie Ouellette examines the inconsistencies at the core of Law and Order: Special Victim’s Unit status as a feminist phenomenon. Since its debut in 1999, the program has been praised for promoting understandings of rape and domestic violence as introduced by the women’s movement, earning a reputation as a key popular culture home for feminist opinions. In this column, Ouellette examines the elephant in the room—SVU’s staunch support of the criminal justice system—in light of the cultural reckoning prompted by the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and others. She concludes that SVU’s incorporation of feminist sensibilities, including solidarity with victims, covers up the persistent violence of policing but may also explain why female audiences horrified by this reality have not quit SVU.