Gender And Crime Essay

Gender, among class, race, age, disability, often defines the distinctions in social categories with relation to exclusion, marginalisation and powerlessness. It helps to understand the experiences and the perceptions towards crimes and victims of crimes. (Davies et al, 2007). Gender has done a notable job in understanding offending and victimisation (Messerschmidt, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2004). The word ‘victim’ in the criminal justice system is often symbolised as gender female and that leads to implications that powerlessness and passivity with being a victim are also associated with being a female. According to Spalek (2006), the severity of the victimisation experiences and the long-term effect on the victims depend hugely on the nature of the

However, the reaction towards victimisation differ from men to women; men are more likely to show anger; even blind fury while women have little overt anger (Katz and Mazur, 1979; Mezey, 1988). Women are conditioned to repress their feelings of anger, the anger turning into self-blame (Mezey, 1988). The anger is just the result of the inability to expressing emotions or hiding emotions (Wortman, 1983) Maguire (1982) found that burglary’s long-term impact among men, is difficulty in sleeping. Men victims of assaults develop Post- traumatic stress disorder (Janoff-Buman and Frieze, 1983); feelings of detachment from others, a decreased interest in activities, a disruption in sleep routine, developing phobias, trouble in concentration and exaggerated startle responses (Stanko and Hobdell, 1993). The behavioural effect of victimisation is a change of lifestyle and avoiding situations unsafe (Stanko,1990). Men choose to be alone and prepare themselves to defend for future events (Stanko and Hobdell, 1993). Crime prevention strategies do not take into account strategies for precautions; the major strategy being to reduce male