Topic 5: Gender, crime and justice

Question 1

What do Heidensohn and Silvestri (2012) say about gender patterns in crime?

Answer 1

Gender differences are the most significant feature of recorded crime
-3/4 criminals = male
-By age 40, 9% women have criminal convictions against 32% men

Question 2

What do official statistics show about gender patterns in crime?

Answer 2

-More females convicted of property offences, more males convicted of sexual/ violent offences
-Males more likely to repeat offences

Question 3

What are the arguments put forward in support of the view that statistics underestimate the amount of female offending?

Answer 3

1- Female crimes less likely to be reported, women are less likely to be prosecuted/ more likely to be let off lightly
2- Chivalry thesis

Question 4

Outline the Chivalry thesis.

Answer 4

Most criminal justice agents are men, and are socialised into acting chivalrous towards women.
-This makes the justice system lenient with women, giving an invalid picture of gender differences in crime.

Question 5

What does Otto Pollak (1950) say?

Answer 5

Argues that men have a protective attitude towards women and that. men hate to accuse women.

Question 6

What are some self-report studies that support the chivalry thesis?

Answer 6

Graham and Bowling (1995): studied 14-25 year old, males more likely to admit to crimes
Flood-page et al (2000) 1/11 female self-reported offenders had been cautioned, compared to 1/7 men. Shows leniency

Question 7

How do Official statistics support the chivalry thesis?

Answer 7

-Females more likely than males to be released on bail.
-Females more likely to pay a bill rather than get sentenced.
-1/9 females sentenced for shoplifting, 1/5 males.
-Hoods (1992) Women were 1/3 less likely to be jailed

Question 8

What are some studies that are evidence against the chivalry thesis?

Answer 8

-Farrington and Morris (1983)
-Buckle and Farrington (1984)
-Hales (2009)

Question 9

Outline Farrington and Morris’ (1983) study.

Answer 9

Sentencing of 408 offences of theft in a magistrates court found that women were not sentenced more leniently

Question 10

Outline Buckle and Farrinton’s (1984) study

Answer 10

Observational study of shoplifting, twice as many males shoplifting as females despite official statistics.
Suggests that women shoplifters may be more likely to be prosecuted than their male counterparts

Question 11

How do self report studies show evidence that males provide more offences?

Answer 11

-Young men more likely than females to report binge drinking, illegal drugs or disorderly conduct
-Hales et al (2009) males more likely to have been offenders in all major offence categories.

Question 12

What are some statistics that support the under-reporting of male crimes against women?

Answer 12

-2012 only 8% female victims of sexual assault report to police
-Yearnshire (1997) women suffer 35 assaults before reporting domestic violence

Question 13

How does the chivalry thesis ignore the fact that many male crimes do not get reported?

Answer 13

-Crimes of powerful are under-represented and more likely to be reported by men
-Under-representation of women reporting sexual assault by men

Question 14

How does Heidensohn (1996) claim the criminal justice system is biased against women?

Answer 14

The court treats females more harshly then males when they deviate from gender norms.

Question 15

What are some examples of courts bias against women?

Answer 15

• Double standards, courts punish girls for sexual activity by e.g putting them into care
  -Women who do not conform to accepted standards of monogamous heterosexuality and motherhood are punished more harshly

Question 16

Outline Sharpe’s (2009) study into double standards in the court.

Answer 16

Analysis of 55 youth worker records, 7 out of 11 girls were referred to for support because they were sexually active but none out of 44 boys

Question 17

Outline Stewart’s (2006) findings into bias in court.

Answer 17

Magistrates’ perceptions of female defendant’s characters were based on stereotypical gender roles.

Question 18

What does Carlen (1997) say about bias in the court?

Answer 18

When women are jailed, it’s less for the crime and more according to the courts assessment of them as wives, mothers and daughters.
-Scottish judges more likely to jail women who had children in care compared to those who were ‘good mothers’

Question 19

Why do feminists say that double standards exist in the court?

Answer 19

Because the judicial system is patriarchal

Question 20

What evidence is there that the judicial system is patriarchal?

Answer 20

Due to how they deal with rape cases, e.g judges making sexist, victim blaming remarks.

Question 21

What theorist argues that in rape cases it is not the defendant that is on trial but the victim?

Answer 21

Walklate (1998)