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The influence race and class have on crime control policies essay
Racial inequalities in the criminal justice system
Racial inequalities in the criminal justice system
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The hegemony of White, middle class, heterosexual experience of mainstream, second wave feminism, in the 1970s, caused for minority and marginalised groups to feel underrepresented. Multiple perspectives that fell under the rubric of feminism began to appear, and as a result contemporary feminist criminology began to struggle to maintain the focus of the society on patriarchy influences (Chesney-Lind and Morash, 2013). The diversity of women’s experiences, due to their differences amongst class, race, gender and other locations of inequality, meant feminist criminologists began arguing for an intersectional model (Cain, 1990; Daly, 1993; Daly and Stephens, 1995). According to Scharff (2012), young women are now rejecting previous feminist perspectives because of the vast diversity amongst women. This essay, however, will focus primarily on Black women and their different experiences of subordination within Western societies. To begin with, the relevance of the intersectionality approach will be defined and discussed, followed by the reasons for why multiracial feminism is the preferred term amongst some scholars. The multiracial feminist model will then be examined in order to understand why it is more useful than previous feminist perspectives. After locating the importance of race amongst other social inequalities within an intersectional model, the discrimination of Black women in different social positions will be discussed in argument for why the multiracial approach needs to be integrated into contemporary feminist criminology. Criticism
The longstanding commitment of feminist criminology has been to deconstruct the embedded male bias within criminology and the criminal justice system, but, as some commentators have poi...
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...in experiences of subordination between races can lead the reader into believing race is at the bottom of a hierarchy, suggesting all forms of oppression are not equal after all. Still, some would argue a feminist criminology altogether is irrelevant because a focus on women breaking the law for different reasons than men relates to biological positivism (Carlen, 1990b). Noting the differences between men and women could potentially lead to a reductionist view, the idea of women are less on a scale to men. However, without identifying the differences between men and women, and highlighting the impact race has over other social inequalities, a feminist criminology could not succeed in the contemporary era. Otherwise a White male mainstream criminology will continue to prevail, with women being judged against a law constructed by men for the deviant behaviour of men.
In the opening chapter of their book, Patricia Hill Collins and Sirma Bilge examine the meaning of intersectionality as they apply it to three distinct examples: the FIFA World Cup, a World Congress of Sociology, and the Brazilian festival of Latinidades. Intersectionality, as defined by the authors, refers to “a way of understanding and analyzing the complexity in the world, in people, and in human experiences.” Intersectionality is often used as an analytic tool to better understand the social and political needs of those whose lives are influenced by multiple intersecting identities (i.e. Black feminism is used to call attention to the specific needs of Black women). The idea of structural power is another key component of intersectionality discussed by Hill Collins and Bilge in the chapter. They argue that power is organized in four distinct, interconnected domains (interpersonal, disciplinary, cultural, and structural), and “operates by disciplining people in ways that put people’s lives on paths that makes some options seems viable and others out of reach.” This idea is outlined in the World Cup example as the authors discuss the “pay to play” ideology in soccer that disadvantages those with lower socioeconomic status. At the conclusion of their chapter, Hill Collins and Bilge outline six core ideas that tend to come up when using intersectionality as an analytic
Bibbings , Lois , and Donald Nicolson. 2000. “General principles of criminal law'? A feminist
This essay will explore reasons why females such as Vanessa George turn to the crime of sex offending. Demonstrating my knowledge and understanding of classical criminological theory, exploring biological theories such as penis envy and more contemporary views such as liberation theory within feminism. The essay will then go on to look at the inequalities female sex offenders face within the criminal justice system in comparison with males, using chivalry theory and evil woman theory to explain this.
However in the prospective of radical criminology the main focus was once on only social perspectives but it previously focuses on age, race, and ethnicity. Meanwhile, radical criminology expresses the facts of why individuals such as women tend to commit less crime then the other gender.
Imagine Kirsty and Marc, a young couple who resort to robbing a house in a desperate attempt to make money. They are caught, charged with the same crime and given the same sentence, except for one thing: the male dominant world we live in does not stop at the courtroom door. Marc is sent to a medium security prison one hour from his family with every opportunity to earn his way into a minimum-security facility. He spends his days learning to cook in the kitchenette and has access to basic necessities like aftershave or hairspray. Meanwhile, Kirsty walks into her frigid six-by-ten foot cell with bars for a door, a toilet in plain view and not a trace of sunlight. She is twelve hours from home with no hope of changing location since there is nowhere else to go. The stories of rapes, beatings and riots told by her new neighbours are endless. Kirsty realizes that the only way for her to survive this place is to oppose nature and forget what it is to feel. This is discrimination against women as they are penalized more severely than men for committing less crime. How can women strive for equality when they cannot attain justice in the justice system itself? The controversy over the gender bias goes beyond the "too-few-to-count" syndrome as Sally Armstrong calls it, it is a question of women's constitutional right to be treated equally.
The criminal justice system main focus has always been shifted towards male offenders and their responses to male crimes. Women and girls offending lacked attention simply because most crimes were known to be committed by males and not females. Nevertheless, towards the end of the 20th century, female incarceration tremendously took a turn for the worst, leading to more study on women/girls, women and crime offending, crimes, and the criminal justice system in regard to feminist. This increase rate of women incarceration was led in regard to “war on drugs”. It was explained that women’s and girl’s crime and deviance is trigger often by biological factors than by social or economic forces (Daly & Chesney-Lind, 1988). In the late 1960s, Bertrand
He claimed that the statistics seriously under-estimated the extent of female criminality. From an examination of official figures in a number of different countries he claimed to have identified certain crimes that are usually committed by women but are particularly likely to be unreported. Pollak went on to give reasons as to why there should be an under-recording of female crime. 1. He argues that the police, magistrates and other law enforcement officials tend to be men.
When the criminal justice system was established, the main objective was to create neutrality and fairness between the sexes. Even though people might believe that there is no such thing as ‘stereotyping’ in the criminal justice system, it is quite obvious that women are constantly being look down upon because of their sex. In general, women tend to be treated like fragile objects that could break at any moment; the truth is that women can be strong and courageous just like men. Society stereotypes women and the criminal justice system is no different.
In criminological history, discrimination against women was so evident and naturalised because for centuries, the underlying concept of ‘patriarchy’ or the power of men over women made it acceptable to stereotype women to subordinate women to male power (Carraine et al., 2014). Discrimination against women was maintained by the privileged group, that is men, and operated on multiple dimensions on an individual, institutional, and cultural level (Bell, 2010). On a cultural level, women were believed to be naturally suited to the domestic sphere, and
Intersectionality is a term used to describe a situation whereby an individual has multiple identities and as result, the person feels that he or she doesn’t belong to one community or another. Because of the many conflicts in an individual’s identities, he or she could be a victim of multiple threats of discrimination (Williams, 2017). The discrimination could be a result of race, gender, age, health and ethnicity among others. To give an example, a black transgender woman could be discriminated in the workplace because of being black and also because she is transgender. From an intersectionality perspective, the woman faces multiple threats of discrimination because of the overlapping identities of gender and race and therefore the transwoman faces a bigger struggle (Barber, 2017). Transwomen of color will most likely encounter prejudices in the form of homophobia, racism or sexism in many dimensions of their life. The perspective of intersectionality is not only applicable to women but it can also be applied to males. For example, a gay Latino man could be discriminated based on race because he is an immigrant into
Men represent eight hundred ninety-six out of every one hundred thousand prison inmates, while women represent only fifty-six out of one hundred thousand. The rates have increased eight hundred percent since the war on drugs was initiated. Even among women prisoners, racial disparities are glaring. Hispanic and African American women have astronomically higher chances of incarceration than white women. Women are also more likely to be arrested for drug and economic crimes, such as possession or embezzlement (McGrath, 10/29). According to the chivalry hypothesis, the low rates of prosecuted female offenders reflect the leniency with which law enforcement treats women offenders (McGrath, 10/29). Gender differences in aggression and empathy play into the public perception of the ideal offender, and women do not fit the profile. Rather than applying the law equally across genders, police buy into the socially constructed view of women: meek, gentle, caring, empathic, and definitely not capable of cruel criminality (McGrath,
Although women in law enforcement has increased within the past 20-30 years, the struggle to be fully accepted and held to the same standard as a male continues, and this is mainly due to barriers such as the attitudes of male officers. Many policemen continue to express negative views of female officers such as the perception of being less physically capable, mentally and emotional feeble, and unable to earn the trust and respect of citizens. (Davis, 2005) There are many beliefs that because men have maintained the lead role in law enforcement, allowing more women to carry out the same duties demystifies the masculine persona that has always gone hand in hand with policing. There remains the stigma that males have always had the protective role, not a female, and this way of thinking continues to be difficult to deter from. On the other hand, although it is not fact, many police authorities would agree that policewomen are better empathizers and sympathizers in cases concerning women and children - - as mentioned before, and that they tend to approach situations with a unique perspective; bringing different ideas and virtues to the table. For example, most female officers who are petite in stature, know they are unable to stop a physical confrontation, so in order to prevent the occurrence of a fight, will resort to communication to calm the situation. Not to say that males do not have compassion, but there is the maternal quality about females that juveniles feel more comfortable talking to rather than a big scary guy in uniform. (Miller, 2012) In other ways, female officers receive more respect than a male officer might. Patrol Officer Denelle Craul, of East Pennsboro Police Department believes, “Men are taught to respec...
This could be because women are evaluated as the gender, and it does not take into account personal differences. Adler’s liberation thesis seems to be outdated at this point, as the liberation seems to have passed, and still women mostly commit the same crimes and are not much freer. Heidonsohn’s idea of the patriarchal society inflicting control over women does seem much more accurate, as many points can be attested to by most females, however it is still too deterministic, and does not take into account women who do not fight back against the system, which, according to statistics, is 89% of females. Carlen’s study suffers from generalising 39 women to all criminal women, which weakens the argument substantially. Overall, the strongest argument would be Heidensohn, although a better argument would be one that takes into account personal
In this essay, I will investigate and describe a cultural group in my desired field. I will provide details from an interview with a professional person in my field of interest. Gender inequality is still a big issue in law enforcement. Women make up a small percentage in the world of law enforcement. According to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report, there are only thirteen percent of women working in law enforcement in the United States and only five percent are African American (Criminal Justice School Info, 2014). The New York City Police Department hired the first female officers in 1845 and they were called “matrons” (Felperin, 2004). Over twenty years of extensive research has shown that female officers possess a unique style of policing in which they rely more on their interpersonal skills rather than physical strength or force to talk a person down from a violent situation (National Center for Women & Policing, 2013).
While all feminist theorists share a common focus on gender inequality, there are differing views on the source of the problem and the ultimate solution. Liberal Feminists Freda Adler and Rita argued that sociological factors, not physiology, best explain women’s criminality. There is a strong relationship between women’s emancipation and the increase in female crime rates. As women become more liberated and become more involved in full time jobs, they are more likely to engage in the types of crime that men commit. Thrasher, a leading exponent of the social disorganization perspective, felt that girls and women committed less crime because they were more closely supervised by boys and men. These arguments lacked any factual support.