5 Chivalry Thesis Flashcards
Figures do not support Pollak’s assertion that women are just as criminal as men - significant amounts of crime would have to be hidden to achieve anything close to parity BUT:
Have seen an increase in female offending (especially violent)
With an increase overall in use of custody, women in custody rose at faster rate in comparison to men
Stats- difficult to determine; women =
Very different offending histories to men
Stats- seem to support that women get more cautious/fines and shorter sentencing, except for what type of offences?
Drug-related
Stats- women are more likely to… (6)
1) be a 1st time offender
2) commit less serious offences
3) have fewer aggravating factors and more mitigating
4) have shorter ‘criminal careers’ and admit what they’ve done
5) be on benefits and have primary responsibility for children
6) be less likely to be assessed as ‘high risk’ and to recidivate (reoffend)
Qualitative- most research focused on court decisions so there are mixed…
Findings
Qualitative- double deviancy: women receive harsher treatment they are on trial for…
The crime and for their femininity
Heidensohn 1985 - double jeopardy
Qualitative- women aren’t treated as ‘gender neutral’ subject of law rather they’re judged for…
Who they’re not what they have done
Qualitative- Carlen 1983 Scottish study showed that sheriffs were…
Harsher on women who were judged to be ‘bad’ mothers and lenient on those judged to be ‘good’ mothers
Gelsthorpe and Loucks (2008) - idea of the ‘troubled or troublesome’:
Troubled = needing help, most commonly probation of some form
Troublesome = more punitive
Gelsthorpe and Loucks (2008) -
Women, especially parents, more likely seen as ‘troubled’ due to circumstances BUT gender played out in complex ways in decisions, not a straightforward male/female split = ‘close alliance’
Assumptions about ethnicity also…
Come into play
Gelsthorpe and Loucks (2008) - gender differences quotes (1/2):
“I expect women to know better”
Women are let off relatively light by the predominantly
Male police, judges, magistrates, etc.
Gelsthorpe and Loucks (2008) - gender differences quotes (2/2):
“SHOPLIFTING MOTHER WOULD PROBABLY BE A SINGLE MOTHER WITHOUT ENOUGH MONEY. A shoplifting man would very rarely be a single father without enough money and kids yapping around - they would be lads out on the town wanting to get a snappy pair of jeans”
Gelsthorpe and Loucks (2008) - ethnicity and deviancy/lying:
“Some of the Asians may not look you in the face, which doesn’t mean to say that they are not telling the truth, because they would revere you, whereas the WEST INDIANS WOULD LOOK YOU IN THE FACE AND SWEAR THAT BLACK WAS WHITE”
