In reality some recipients manipulate the welfare system for their own ends others are gravely hurt by punitive policies and still others fall somewhere in betweenin cheating welfare kaaryn s gustafson endeavors to clear up these gray areas by providing insights into the history social construction and lived experience of welfare she shows why cheating is all but inevitable not because poor people are immoral but because ordinary individuals navigating complex systems of rules are . Cheating welfare public assistance and the criminalization of poverty c emory burton contemporary sociology 2012 41 5 637 639 download citation if you have the appropriate software installed you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice simply select your manager software from the list below and click on download format tips on citation download . Cheating welfare public assistance and the criminalization of poverty by gustafson kaaryn new york new york university press 2011 238 pp 2800 paper. Cheating welfare public assistance and the criminalization of poverty kaaryn s gustafson limited preview 2011 cheating welfare kaaryn s gustafson no preview available 2012 common terms and phrases administrative adults afdc african american annette applied for welfare asked bayview county breaking the rules california calworks caseworkers cash aid child support compliance comply . Cheating welfare public assistance and the criminalization of poverty by kaaryn s gustafson 384 rating details 19 ratings 2 reviews over the last three decades welfare policies have been informed by popular beliefs that welfare fraud is rampant as a result welfare policies have become more punitive and the boundaries between the welfare system and the criminal justice system