Gender Disparities In Feminist Criminology

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Feminist criminology is a relatively new field that addresses the issue of gender and crime. Since its inception it has tried to address issues such as the disparity in the treatment of women within the criminal justice system and society. It has raised questions about the differences in the frequency and nature of female and male offending, the neutrality of theories in regards to gender, and the contributions of the media to the gendering of crime. Candace Kruttschnitt is a leading criminologist and gender scholar who gave a presidential address at the American Society of Criminology in 2015. She discussed the applicability of mainstream theories that she believes should be more gender inclusive, examined the prominence of females as victims …show more content…

When institutions for women were first used, their purpose was to rehabilitate women as they had somehow deviated from their roles. Women were viewed as feebleminded and their crimes attributed to mental illnesses. Therefore, they were thought to have very different needs from men while in prison and not much reform has been done since. The idea that violence by women was due to mental health resulted in their overmedication, especially when compared to their male counterparts. The legacy of differential needs and care for female offenders has remained the same over the years, with episodic efforts at reform. What little reform has taken place has been due to scandals or principles that give attention to gender specific needs and/or thoughts to empower women. Issues such as sexual assault and the exchange of sex for necessities, such as sanitary products, have left many temporarily outraged and in want of change. Others, such as prison nurseries, have caused much debate as to their appropriateness. However, women’s facilities lack the same resources needed for reentry as men’s, not to mention that women’s access to their children while imprisoned is just as important as men’s. Therefore, access to their family and children should not be a gendered issue, if one decides to go there. At the end of the day women need that same things for reentry into their communities once released: affordable housing, employment, family relations, etc. Therefore, resources should be allocated to making them succeed once they exit the facilities. (Kruttschnitt,

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