Criminalization of Females

Question 1

Steffensmeier and Schwartz

Answer 1

found there were inconsistencies between police statistics and the findings of victim surveys. Victims did not report any increase in attacks by females. Similarly, self-report studies showed no upward trend in female criminality

Question 2

Net Widening

Answer 2

in reality there is no change in women’s offending. they argue that the rise in arrests is due to the justice system ‘widening the net’ - arresting and prosecuting females for less serious forms of violence.

Question 3

Chesney Lind

Answer 3

policy of mandatory arrests for domestic abuse has led to a steep rise in female statistics in the USA.

Question 4

Sharpe and Gelsthorpe

Answer 4

note that net widening policies are producing a rise in the official statistics for females’ violent crime

Question 5

Young and Worrall

Answer 5

Young - refers to labelling here
Worral argues that in the past, girls’ behaviour was more likely to be seen as a welfare issue whereas now it has been re-labelled as criminality