Week Four Flashcards
What is the ratio of gender crime
5:1
Males five times more likely to commit crime than women
Why is there a difference between genders in the justice system
Justice system has a masculine orientation from its origin. Males are more like to commit crime and more serious crimes. Women in nineteenth century put through system for moral transgression not actual offences. Sentencing and dealings of juvenile justice are male focused thus cannot be applied equally to females.
What was done with troubled girls in the past
Girls are subjected to more family violence. Girls who ran away to escape abuse in past we’re taken home by police or a care and control order was taken out against them. Were victim blamed and seen as wayward.
In QL, the children services act (1965) - now repealed allowed youths to be subjected to care and control which were status offences mostly girls.
What was a care and control order
A status offence eg bad behaviour and lead to youth mainly female serving a term in detention without actually committing a crime.
QLD (70s) only 10% of court appearances for an offence was female but 51% of care applications were applied to girls. This increased until late 80s when welfare model was increased and stopped it.
Why are girls featured in crime data more now?
Changes in views of women
Changes to child welfare and justice legislation - more directive and prescriptive
Police not cautioning at same rate and tend to divert them to conferencing or charge them instead
Charging more girls than in past
What are the characteristics of female offending?
Tends to be less serious (maybe changing)
Mainly small crimes eg petty theft shoplifting not paying train fares
More likely to be cautioned on property offences than boys
More likely to have charged of offences against the person as most serious charge
When commuting serious offences mainly act as look out or in company of males. Arise from desperate need
Differences to female sentencing
Researchers examine the data they often do not have details of specific offence so it may be that girls still tend to commit the lesser of serious crimes
Males tend to be repeat offenders and courts are more hard on repeat offenders
Laying of charge depends on officers perception of the circumstances of offence
Provisions of youth justice act state sentence must be proportion of seriousness. If crime is serious females get same treatment as males but have more leniceny in court
