Ideology and dangerousness: The case of Lisa Colleen neve

On November 17, 1994, a superior court judge in Alberta, Canada, declared that Lisa Neve was a dangerous offender (DO) and sentenced her to serve an indeterminate (life) term. A young Aboriginal prostitute, she had been in and out of psychiatric institutions and jails since a teenager; and was before the court for sentence on a robbery and assault with a weapon charge. Using a case study approach, this essay explores the issues of class conflict, racism, sexism, and sociology of psychiatric diagnosis. Her DO designation was subsequently reversed on appeal, revealing the fortuitous intersection of race, gender, and class.