Gender, Crime and Justice
- Created by: tashadasilva
- Created on: 20-01-17 09:35
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- Gender, Crime and Justice
- Gender patterns in crime.
- Most crimes = committed by males.
- Heidensohn and Silvestri (2012)
- Gender differences are the most significant feature of recorded crime
- Official statistics
- 4/5 convicted offenders in England and wales are male.
- By the age of 40, 9% of females have a criminal conviction, as against 39% of males.
- A higher proportion of females have property offences (not burglary) and males have more violent/sexual offences.
- Do women commit more crime?
- Sociologists = statistics underestimate the amount of female as against male offending
- Support: - typically 'female' crimes are less likely to be reported.
- Even when crimes are detected they are less likely to be prosecuted/let off lightly
- The Chivalry Thesis.
- Argues that most criminal justice agents are men and they are socialised in a way to act in a 'chivalrous' way towards women.
- Pollak (1950)
- Men hate to accuse women. Hate to arrest them, prosecute or find them guilty.
- Criminal justice system = more lenient with women and crimes. Less likely to end up in the OffStats.
- Gives and invalid picture that exaggerates the extent of gender differences in rates of offending,
- Criminal justice system = more lenient with women and crimes. Less likely to end up in the OffStats.
- Men hate to accuse women. Hate to arrest them, prosecute or find them guilty.
- Self-report studies
- Where individuals are asked about what crimes they have committed.
- Does say that females are treated more leniently
- Graham and Bowling (1995)
- RESEARCH - sample of 1,700, 14-25 year olds = although males were more likely to offend, the distance was smaller than the recorded in OffStats.
- Males were 2.33x more likely to admit to having committed an offence in the last 12 months. OffStats = shows males as 4x more likely to offend.
- RESEARCH - sample of 1,700, 14-25 year olds = although males were more likely to offend, the distance was smaller than the recorded in OffStats.
- Graham and Bowling (1995)
- Flood-Page et al (2000)
- only 1/11 female self-reported offenders have been cautioned, males = 1/7
- Official Statistics.
- Court statistics seem to give support to the thesis
- Females = more likely to be released on bail
- Females = more likely to recieve a fine or community sentence. On average get shorter sentences
- Only 1/9 female offenders receive a prison sentence for shoplifting but 1/5 males do.
- Court statistics seem to give support to the thesis
- Evidence against the Chivalry Thesis
- Gender patterns in crime.
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