gender, crime, and justice

Question 1

what gender are 3/4 convicted offenders in england and wales

Answer 1

male

Question 2

what gendered crimes are less likely to be reported

Answer 2

female crimes (i.e., shoplifting) are most likely to go unnoticed

Question 3

what gender commits the most violent/sexual offences

Answer 3

men

Question 4

why are men more serious criminals

Answer 4

• most repeat offences
• longest criminal records
• more likely to commit serious crimes

Question 5

pollak

Answer 5

why do women get off so lightly?

chivalry thesis - men are socialised to be respectful towards women and so a male-dominated cjs treats women leniently

Question 6

ao3 of pollak

Answer 6

double deviance thesis = women are treated harshly in courts because they’ve deviated from both the law and gender norms

example: myra hindley got an equal sentence to her male accomplice

Question 7

adler

Answer 7

how can we explain female crime rising?

liberation thesis - female crime is rising because they are becoming more free from the patriarchy and taking on more male roles, which includes male crime (i.e., violence and white collar crime)

example: following the equality act, there was a rise in female gang culture

Question 8

ao3 of adler

Answer 8

• female crime rates were rising in the 50s, whereas females were liberated in the 60s
• the rise is most significant in wc women, the least liberated group

Question 9

heidenson

Answer 9

why are women committing less crime than men?

control theory - women are controlled by men and so their crime rate is lower

1. control at home = being inside gives them less opportunities to offend
2. control in public = fear of male violence makes them avoid going out at night or to pubs, environments where crime is high
3. control at work = women are kept in lower jobs that prevent white collar crime

Question 10

ao3 of heidenson

Answer 10

ignores the agency that women have

Question 11

carlen

Answer 11

why do wc women commit crime?

wc women turn to crime when they fail to receive material or emotional rewards, either through work (the class deal) or the family (the gender deal)

Question 12

ao3 of carlen

Answer 12

carlen’s sample was small and unrepresentative

Question 13

parsons

Answer 13

why are there gender differences in crime?

sex role theory - girls are socialised to be gentle and so they commit less crime than boys who are taught to be tough

Question 14

ao3 of parsons

Answer 14

walklate - parsons makes biological assumptions

Question 15

net-widening

Answer 15

there hasn’t been a rise in female crime, the justice system has just been arresting women for more offences than before

Question 16

gender and victimisation

Answer 16

• homicide = victims are 70% men, female victims are more likely to be killed by a partner or ex-partner
• violence - victims are mostly men but women are more likely to be victims of intimate violence

Question 17

messerschmidt

Answer 17

• masculinity is a social construct, where hegemonic masculinity is desirable
• different intersectional groups of men may use crime to achieve hegemonic masculinity, such as property crime for material success

Question 18

ao3 of messerschmidt

Answer 18

• not all men use crime to seem ‘masculine’
• masculinity may not be an explanation for crime, just a description of some male offenders

Question 19

winlow

Answer 19

• postmodernity = less masculine jobs like physical labour
• working-class men were drawn into organised crime through legal jobs like bouncing, using violence and their physical presence (bodily capital) to gain status, income, and express masculinity in a society with fewer legitimate opportunities.