2. Definition if key concepts
2.1. Female crime
Female crime can be defined as crimes committed by women and this type of crime classification derive from a gender standpoint (Meixiang, 2011:197). Furthermore, female crime is a topic which has been narrowly researched because female offender can be described as invisible, due to the low numbers of female crime statistics in the criminal justice system (Hudson, 2010:1). Female offenders are considered by some to be feeble-minded and to have acted due to poverty or uncontrollable circumstances (Pistorius, 2012:7). According to Pistorius (2012:7), this viewpoint of female offenders has caused police officers, judges and other law enforcement officials to take pity on female offenders. Consequently,
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This assessment determines the offender’s susceptibility in terms of reoffending, dangerousness to the public, readiness to be integrated back into society as well as readiness to be a law abiding citizen and probability of escaping supervision or parole (Guay Quimet & Proulx, 2004:330-331; Simourd 2004:306-307). Furthermore, a pre-parole assessment refers to the assessment of an individual’s program dedication, intervention progress as well as risk of reoffending which is used to accommodate the Parole Board and probation officers (Alexander, 2000:118-119).
2.3. Criminal analysis
Criminal analysis can be defined as a law enforcement function which is used by criminologists to systematically analyse patterns and trends used by an offender (Boba, 2005:5). A criminal analysis is primarily compiled by making use of specific crime scene characteristics in order to identify possible personality, behavioral traits as well as characteristics of an offender (Kocsis, 2007:89). Moreover, the information gathered through the crime scene analysis can be employed by law enforcement officials, to lower the amount of current suspects and close in on more appropriate offenders (Kocsis, 2007:89).
3. Nature and extent of female crime in South
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However, female crime has increased gradually in more recent years, causing concern for countries all over the world, including South Africa. Statistics related to female crimes in South Africa is scares; however statistics for incarcerated female offenders are useful in understanding the extent of female crimes. The number of female offender reported in the years 2013 to 2014 was 3495 and this number has gradually risen (Anon, 2015:28). In 2015 the average percentage of female offenders in South African prisons was 3915 whereas male offenders in prison were a staggering 153226 (Anon, 2015:28). Furthermore, Gauteng was reported to have the highest number of female offenders in the year 2015, with 895 sentenced female offenders (Anon, 2015:29). In contrast to the high levels of female inmates in Gauteng, the lowest number of female inmates was recorder in Eastern Cape with a number of 286 female inmates (Anon, 2015:29). According to Meixiang (2011:197), although female crimes are still lower than the crimes committed by males, the recent increase in female crimes has caused concern all around the
An important issue that needs to be addressed within the Central Justice System is to have a reduction in the number of offenders in order to keep both society safe and reduce the population of prisons to an absolute minimum. A tool that is being widely used in order to manage and reduce recidivism rates among the average offender is the RNR model, however when it is used to treat different minority groups problems can arise as they all require different strategies in order to deal with their needs and make the model work. This essay will prove that the RNR model has the ability to reduce recidivism when it has been modified in order to accompany for the minority group of female offenders as well as highlight what challenges this specific group
Across the country the ratio of male inmates to women is huge. According to “Criminal Justice a brief introduction” by Frank Schmalleger It states that the ratio that for every 15 male inmates there is only one female. But that doesn’t mean that the number of female inmates aren’t rapidly increasing. Even though there are similarities within both men and women’s prisons they are still in ways different.
Classical and contemporary theory helps to explain gendered crime patterns. The feminist school of criminology argue criminology and criminal theory is very masculine, all studies into criminal behaviour, have been developed from male statistics and tested on males. Very little research is conducted into female criminality, this may be because women who commit crime are more likely to be seen as evil or mentally ill rather than criminal, this is because women are labe...
There are many notions that must be understood prior to studying what influences the perpetration of rapes in prisons, for example, studying the context behind each scenario or case. However, there is one notion that is inevitable to disregard and that is, the consideration of ideals of punitive
Perception is not reality. The common assumption that the court system often treats female sex offenders differently than male sex offenders, the punishments of female sex offenders are more lenient than men who commit the same types of crimes, and the differences between male and female victims are all perception and not reality. Objective considerations to additional factors make the perceptions baseless. These additional factors solidify the factual differences between male and female sex offenders.
Throughout history, certain crimes have been separated into different categories based on their prevalence. For every crime, the offense and charges are different. In addition, certain crimes tend to be committed more often by women than men, and vice versa. Crimes such as larceny, fraud, forgery, and prostitution (Chesney-Lind, 1986) tend to be committed more often by women; whereas, assault, murder, trafficking, etc tend to be committed by men.
A consistent feature of the statistics, not only in England and Wales but across Europe and America, is that far fewer women are convicted of crime than men – a fact which has changed little over the years. Female offenders also show a different pattern of offending being less involved in violent offences and proportionately more involved in theft. In general most now accept that girls and women do commit fewer offences than boys. GENDER AND PATTERNS OF CRIME Writing in 1977 Carol Smart stated: Our knowledge is still in its infancy. In comparison with the massive documentation on all aspects of male delinquency and criminality, the amount of work carried out on the area of women and crime is extremely limited.
Throughout history, certain crimes have been separated into different categories base on their prevalence. For every crime, the offense and charge is different. In addition, not every crime is committed by the same gender. Crimes such as larceny, fraud, forgery, and prostitution (Chesney-Lind, 1986) tend to be committed more often by women; whereas, assault, murder, trafficking, etc tend to be committed by men. When it comes to the stereotyping of women in the criminal justice system one could say that women present themselves as victims to reach a lesser sentence or that by presenting themselves as victims they will have a longer sentence that will protect them.
Between 1991 and 2000, arrest rates for girls increased more than arrests for boys, and by 2004 girls accounted for 30 percent of all juveniles taken into custody. Researchers have yet to establish if this trend is representative of a quantifiable increase in female juvenile crime, or if social attitudes and law enforcement response to girl’s delinquency have influenced the increase (Zahn, “Causes” 1-3). Juvenile crime overall has been declining since reaching its peak in the late 1990’s, yet the rates of girls have not experienced the same rate of decline when compared to boys.
Criminology is the study of crime and criminals. In criminology, crime data is gathered in many different ways. All of these ways are part of the National Incident-Based Reporting system, which is a program that collects data on each respond crime incident (CITATION). There are Primary Sources of collecting crime data, and Secondary Sources of collecting crime data. Under the Primary Sources of collecting crime data are the National Crime Victimization Survey, Self Report Surveys, and the Uniform Crime Reports. These reporting surveys and official records gather information for Criminologists about all types of crimes. Some examples of these are homicide, rape, aggravated assault, robbery, arson, burglary, and larceny. Criminologists use these also to measure the nature and extent of the crime, along with behavior and personalities of the offenders. Secondary Sources of collecting crime data are Experimental Research, Observational and Interview Research, Data Mining, Crime Mapping, Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review, and Cohort Research. These gathering techniques gather informatio...
Jewkes, R. (2012) Rape Perpetration: A review. Pretoria, Sexual Violence Research Initiative. Retrieved April 21, 2014 , from http://www.svri.org/RapePerpetration.pdf
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.
Criminal Investigative Analysis is an investigative tool used by law enforcement officials to help determine the unknown offender of a specific crime, usually involving violent crimes. The purpose of Criminal Investigative Analysis is to create a profile containing characteristics of the offender who committed a certain crime. Law enforcement then uses this profile to help determine a possible suspect that fits into that profile. The Criminal Investigative Analysis has been crucial in solving some very large cases, where law enforcement had no leads and used this tool to come up with a possible suspect. The media has influenced the view that the public has between what the media portrays how law enforcement conducts an investigation
South Africa has been plagued with a predominantly heterosexual HIV epidemic, the key in all of this being the differences in which men and women position themselves and act as social beings. These gender differences can take many forms but commonly lies in the discrepancies of power, gender power inequity in relationships can cause intimate partner violence, which places women in an enhanced risk of HIV infections. In dominantly patriarchal society, South Africa has a high rate of rape has been identified as the highest of any Interpol member country, with a high number
Include such areas as Tsolo in the Eastern Cape, Thabong in the Free State, Katlehong in Gauteng, Inanda in KwaZulu-Natal, KaNyamazana in Mpumalanga, Mafikeng in the North West, Galeshewe in the Northern Cape, Thohoyandou in the Northern Province and Mitchells's Plain in the Western Cape. We will therefore make multi-disciplinary interventions in these areas, starting with a few pilot areas, drawing in all spheres of government and engaging the people themselves in an offensive to ensure that we reduce the levels of crime in these areas which are characterized by a high incidence of crime (Mbeki: 1999).