“. The average policeman and police chief thought of policewomen as a fad and considered their entry into the police field an unjustified excursion into social work. They thought of punitive functions and not preventative ones as the duty of police. No real concerted opposition to policewomen arose in the United States (unlike Great Britain), but rather the attitude prevailed that women had to prove themselves good police officers which they most likely could not do.” (Horne, 1975) Women were first let into the law enforcement work force because there seemed to be a need for women, due to the rise in young girls and female offenders in the system. Whether it was for domestic violence issues, sexual assault or what have you.
She was the first women to become a law enforcement officer. Her previous work was so effective that Baldwin won the support of the mayor, city council, and police chief to make her position on the police department. Although being accepted on the police department, she was still limited to serve “women duties”. Stated on http://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/, she was hired to serve as the Superintendent of the Women’s Auxiliary to the Police Department for Protection of Girls. Baldwin along with others did not view herself as the same as that of uniform male officers.
They are usually viewed as too gentle, emotional, or weak. Over Ninety-five cases have been documented since 2000 of discrimination by sex. This is a rising problem in our country and if not corrected it could harm law enforcement as a whole. Women have struggled since the 1800’s to have a career in law enforcement and to be treated with the same respect as male officers. The early history of police women consisted of social service, in which women had to meet high standards for police employment, but received lower wages, were restricted to a special unit or bureau, and were assigned to clerical, juvenile, guard duty and vice work.
The nature of women’s contribution in delinquency responds to the individual and essential causes of their unlawful behavior rather than relying solely on corrective responses (Van Wormer, Bartollas). The statistics women in state prisons were less likely than men to have been convicted of a violent crime (35% vs. 53%) (Van Wormer, Bartollas). Our nation’s reliance on correctional facilities to deal with women’s involvement in crime is steadily increasing (Van Wormer, Bartollas). Works Cited Greenfeld, Lawrence A., and Snell, Tracy L. Women Offenders. Washington, DC: US Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 1999.
In 1994 “females accounted for 24% of all juvenile arrests” (Chesney-Lind 11). Also, female gang members show higher levels of delinquency than non gang members (Curry 12). However, they do not necessarily influence members once in the gang. Such as many researchers have found; once in a gang, female members are not expected to involve themselves in delinquency. Recent estimates of female gang involvement have shown a tremendous increase in female membership.
Data were available from police women serving in the countries of Eastern Europe, Continental Europe and the British Isles as well as from the United States. It must be noted however, that the sample is drawn from activist women officers who are more likely to have an appreciation of gender issues than there non conference attending counterparts. Results are presented as illustrative of trends rather than definitive findings. In comparing police women's experiences four themes developed by Heidensohn (1992:199) will be used in the present paper: unsuitable job for a woman; equal opportunities; the gentle touch; and desperate remedy. UNSUITABLE JOB FOR A WOMAN Countries vary in the dates of admitting women into the police, but the opposition to their admission was almost universal.
Gender inequality still plays a huge role in today’s society. Women comprise only a small percentage of the local law enforcement agencies across the nation. Women have been a part of law enforcement since the 20th century but have only been noticed within the last 40 years. Back in the 1970’s women rarely held positions in law enforcement and if they did it was mainly clerical/desk positions. Even though the amount of women in law enforcement today has increased, women still only make up roughly around 13 percent of the law enforcement work force (Public).
We will not only look at what it took for women to get into the police force but also what types of roles they play in the police force today. In addition, we will look at what roles women hope to play in the police force in the future. By doing this we hope to show you how far women have come in the area of police work in the past one hundred years and how far they will still have to go. History of Women In The Police Force In the past, policing and women were never associated with each other. Policing was a male dominated profession which women were not welcomed to join.
There are few people who would argue that jobs for women were scarce in whatever part of the country in the 1800’s. Was it superior to penalize the women who prostituted themselves or offer them ways in which they could “better” themselves? Jail time, fines, social reform was all ways society judged the working women. Why women prostituted themselves in the 19th century I feel is important before discussing ideas of reform and punishment. “No work, no money, no home” (Hill, 1993) was a phrase used by a young prostitute in New York City.
They have the right to vote and have the right to seek employment. They have also made an impact in the Criminal Justice System. “Although women still only constitute 7% of the total prison population, their rates of imprisonment have grown immensely”(Hackstaff and Rector, 2009). Furthermore, “since 1995 the annual rate of growth of women inmates is 4.6% compared to the annual rate of 3% for men” (quoted in Hackstaff). Its no wonder that women have begun the rise of being labeled as a criminal.