Topic 5 - Gender, Crime and Justice Flashcards
Who observed gender differences as being the most significant feature of recorded crime?
Heidensohn and Silvestri
What are some of the gender differences shown by official statistics?
- a higher proportion of female than male offenders are convicted of property offences
- a higher proportion of male than female offenders are convicted of violence or sexual offences
- males are more likely to be repeat offenders, to have longer criminal careers and to commit more serious crimes.
do women commit more crime?
sociologists and criminologists argue that the statistics underestimate the amount of female as against male offending.
what are the two arguments put forward in support of the view that crime underestimates the amount of female offenders?
- typically ‘female’ crimes are less likely to be reported, e.g = shoplifting is less likely to be noticed or reported than the violent or sexual crimes more often committed by men.
- even if reported, women are less likely to be prosecuted, or if prosecuted, more likely ro be let off relatively lightly.
what is the chivalry thesis?
the thesis argues that most criminal justice agents such as police officers or judges are men, and men are socialised to act in a ‘chivalrous’ way towards women.
which theorist is associated with the chivalry thesis and what do they argue?
Pollak = argues that men have a protective attitude towards women and that “men hate to accuse women and thus send them to their punishment”
what are the criminal justice system like when it comes to gender
the criminal justice system is more lenient with women and so their crimes are less likely to end up in the official statistics. this in turn gives an invalid picture that exaggerates the extent of gender differences in rates of offending.
what is a self-report study and what do es it suggest
individuals are asked about what crimes they have committed - suggests that female offenders are treated more leniently.
who provides an example of self study reports
graham and bowling = research on over 1,000 14-25 year olds found that although males were more likely to offend, the difference was smaller than that recorded in the official statistics.
which other theorist provided another example of evidence of self-report studies
Flood Page et al = while only one in 11 female self-reported offenders had been cautioned or prosecuted, the figure for males was over 1 in 7 self-reported offenders.
what do official statistics provide and what are the examples given
court statistics appear to give some support to the chivalry thesis. for example =
- females are more likely than males to be released on bail rather than remanded in custody
- women on average receive shorter prison sentences
what did Hood find in his study of defendants
that women were about one third less likely to be jailed in similar cases
which theorists provide evidence against the chivalry thesis and what did they found
Farrington and Morris = study of sentencing of offences of theft in a magistrates’ court found that women were not sentenced more leniently for comparable offences
which theorist studied American and British self-report studies and what did they find
box = concluded that women who committed serious offences are not treated more favourably than men.
which theorists studies shoplifting
Buckle and Farrington = observational study of shoplifting in a department store witnessed twice as many male shoplifters than females.
this small-scale study suggests that women shoplifters may be more likely to be prosecuted than their male counterparts.
what do self-report studies show when it comes to evidence against the chivalry thesis and what example did they use
provide evidence that males commit more offences. for example, young men are more likely than females to report binge drinking, taking illegal drugs or engaging in disorderly behaviour.
what theorist is linked to self-report studies
Hales et al = found that they were significantly more likely to have been offenders in all major offence categories. other studies suggest that the gender gap increases as the offences become more serious.
what is a criticism of the chivalry this
the under-reporting of male crimes against women = the chivalry thesis ignores the fact that many male crimes do mot get reported.
provide a theorist and their example regarding criticising the chivalry thesis and the under-reporting of male crimes against women
Yearnshire found that women typically suffer 35 assaults before reporting domestic violence.
what other types of crime are under-represented in self-report studies and victim surveys?
crimes of the powerful and these are also more likely to be committed by men by virtue of their more privileged position in the job market.
what may be the reason women appear to be treated more leniently?
may simply be because their offences are less serious
why are women more likely to recieve a caution instead of going to court?
because women offenders seem more likely to show remorse
what does Heidensohn argue regarding bias against women
that the courts treat females more harshly than males when they deviate from gender norms.
what are some examples of how courts treat females more harshly than males when they deviate
- double standards = courts punish girls but not boys for premature or promiscuous sexual activity. Sharpe found that 7/11 girls were referred for support as they were sexually active, but none out of 44 boys.
- Stewart found that magistrates’ perceptions of female defendants’ characters were based on stereotypical gender roles.
