Key Points Flashcards
Stats
Men: constitute c. 80-90% of offenders (although in fact a complex picture - note variations across crimes i.e. which crimes):
British Crime Surveys: evidence most likely victim of crime is young and male (18-24 highest risk group)
A central claim within criminology - Age and gender are two most significant features associated with crime.
Victim/self-report studies do reveal higher rates female criminality - but tend to confirm overall dominance of male offending
What do we know?
Women commit far fewer crimes than men - and even fewer violent crimes
Male dominance of crime appears cross-class / across social groups
But there is (important) considerable historical variation (note for example contemporary concerns about female crime - how there has been a move from previous stereotypes of female crime as ‘shoplifting and prostitution’)
Most domestic violence involves male perpetrator / female victim
Male on male is most prevalent form of violence
Male violence tends to take more serious forms
Men also dominate corporate / white collar crime as well as crimes such as sexual abuse (why e.g. do men dominate the former?)
Specific Crimes
Homicide: Vast majority (c. 87%) cases involve male suspect
Sexual Violence
- Vast majority cases female victim
- Significant percentage involve known perpetrator, a minority the ‘stranger’ perpetrator (is this contrary to stereotype?)
Research suggests reported cases are in fact the ‘tip of the iceberg’ - that DV is a serious, significant social issue (with some research suggesting 1 in 4 women suffer violence in the home in life course):
British Crime Survey figures have suggested DV accounts for around 45% of all violent incidents by gender for women, and around 12% for men
Estimates 4.9 million women (28%) and c 15% men have experienced some form of domestic abuse since age of 16:
For women, most commonly experienced types of intimate violence were non-sexual partner abuse (22%), stalking (21%) and sexual assault (20%).
(Think - recent events 2016-17?)
Guardian, 6th Sept 2016
‘Violent Crime Against Women hit record high. Social media being used to humiliate, control and threaten DPP warns’
CPS annual report 2016
Central theme - that D.V. is historically underestimated - person (any age, sex) more likely to be subject to physical attack in the home than on the street at night:
British Crime Survey 2000 - this is the source of commonly cited statistic that one in four women had been or will be physically assaulted by current or former partner at some point in life - i.e this is a major social problem
An incident of d.v reported to police every minute (Home Office 2003)
One third of all female murder victims are killed by current or former partner
Again: are attitudes changing? (HINT: remember: these are examples of a relationship between gender and crime: do not focus here on substance of legal responses e.g. criminal/family law)
Gender blindness of criminology
“Criminological theories have held out to be general explanations of crime - but in fact they are about men/male crime, with women seen in negative/gendered terms” (Carol Smart 1976 Women, Crime and Criminology)
“Women’s absence from the literature and/or distortion of their experiences when present were the accusations levelled at criminologists” (Frances Heidensohn 1994)
