Femisnt Perspective On Crime And Deviance

Question 1

Sociologists of feminism in crime and deviance

Answer 1

1. Carlen
2. Heidensohn

Question 2

Feminist perspective

Answer 2

• Feminist sociologists examine how female offenders are treated within the criminal justice system (CJS), including by the police and the courts.
• The double deviance thesis suggests that the CJS treats some women more harshly than others. Female offenders (particularly those who deviate from gender stereotypes) are treated as double deviants because they have broken the norms governing gender behaviour as well as the law.
• Feminist perspectives examine the ways women are victimised in society. They question why domestic violence and sex crimes are under-reported to the police.

Question 3

Heidensohn perspective

Answer 3

• Women have a lower rate of officially recorded crime than men and commit few serious crimes. -She uses control theory to explain this from a feminist perspective.
• The control theory emphasises the social bonds between people. The social bonds can prevent people from turning to crime an accident agents of social control.
• Patriarchal society has separate spheres for men and women is the public life are seen as men sphere, and the home is seen as a woman’s sphere
• she examines female conformity in the control of women patriarchal society controls women more effectively than men so it’s harder for them to break the law. Women are controlled at home in public and at work so that means they’re not able to commit crimes because of control.
• Women’s behaviour in public is controlled by the fear of male violence. This feat controls their behaviour
• in the workplace men have power over women for example, as manager or supervisor is sexual harassment is a form of male control and limits women’s freedoms in the workplace

Question 4

Carlens perspective

Answer 4

• carlens control theory as a basis before her approach. This starts from the assumption that human beings neither naturally good, nor bad, but they will make decisions to turn to crime.
• working-class women have been controlled through the promise or awards (meritocracy).
• They make a class deal which offers respectable, working-class women, consumer goods in return for their wage.
• they make a gender deal for the psychological and material awards offered by male breadwinners in return for the love, and domestic labour
• however, when is rewards are not available, then criminality becomes an alternative criminal behaviour becomes more likely when social control breaks down