Topic 8b: Gender and patterns of crime

Question 1

Intro

Answer 1

In 2006, 1.42 million offenders were sentenced for criminal offences in England and Wales. The majority of these offenders were male (80%). Also males were more likely than females to be found guilty of, or cautioned for, crimes in all major crime categories. Sociologists look to explain the different patterns of crimes between genders

Question 2

Conclusion

Answer 2

A postmodern twist on the idea of masculinity is the work of Katz, who argues that what most criminology has failed to do is to understand the role of pleasure in committing crime. This search for pleasure has to be placed within the context of masculinity, which stresses the importance of status, control over others and success. Doing evil, he argues is motivated by the quest of a ‘moral self-transcendence’ in the face of boredom. Different crimes provide different thrills, which can vary from the ‘sneaky thrills’ of shoplifting, to the ‘righteous slaughter’ of murder.