Gender, Crime And Justice

Question 1

Most crimes appears to be committed by males or females?

Answer 1

MALES

Question 2

Give 2 official statistics facts that show that men commit crime more than women.

Answer 2

-4/5 convicted offenders in England & Wales are male.
-men are 15 times more likely to be convicted of homicide
-a higher proportion of males are convicted of violent + sexual offences.
-by the age of 40, 9% of females have a criminal record compared to 32% of males
-males are more likely to be repeat offenders, have longer criminal careers + commit more serious crime

Question 3

in 2023 / 2024, what percentage of the prison population in England and Wales were male and what percentage were female?

Answer 3

96% male
4% female

Question 4

what are the 3 main questions sociologists ask regarding gender, crime and official statistics?

Answer 4

1) do women really commit so few crimes?
2) how can we explain why those women who do offend commit crimes?
3) why do males commit more crime than females?

Question 5

NAME the 2 main arguments relating to the claim that women are underrepresented in the official crime statistics in Britain

Answer 5

1) The types of crime that women commit
2) The Chivalry Thesis

Question 6

explain the argument regarding the types of crime that women commit as an explanation for female underrepresentation in official crime statistics

Answer 6

-typical female crimes are far less likely to be reported - like shoplifting and prostitution.
-because the typical female crimes are seen as less serious in their nature, they are far less likely to be reported than serious crimes of men. Meaning that women are committing crime, but they do not end up in the official statistics

Question 7

Name a sociologist associated with the Chivalry Thesis

Answer 7

OTTO POLLACK

Question 8

what is the Chivalry Thesis?

Answer 8

Women are underrepresented in official crime stats due to the paternalistic attitudes of men towards women. Police are less likely to record female crimes, and the judiciary is less likely to hand down custodial sentences to women. Society perceives women to be good + there are assumptions that women’s’ criminality is harmless.

Question 9

explain an example (subjective) of the Chivalry Thesis

Answer 9

-Oxford medical student Lavinia Woodward stabbed her boyfriend in the leg, and was found to have a history of drug + alcohol abuse.
-She was spared jail. The Judge praised her determination to overcome addiction, and her promising medical career