Police Women And Gender Justice

Women in Policing around the World is a historical, legal, political, and social examination of women in policing. The book opens with a comparison of cultural definitions of gender and how this affects women’s work in general and policing specifically. The book then takes the reader through women in policing in the Eastern and Western Hemispheres, featuring several countries within the major regions of the world. Major commonalities and differences are identified in the areas of recruitment, training, deployment, promotion, and violence against women. Among the key features of this book is a balanced coverage of historical and timely events that led to the current status of women police in their respective countries. The book identifies the commonalities that women police experience throughout the world, relying on the most current research. The book also dedicates coverage of policing violence against women in society as well as within the police organization itself. The author includes tables to allow for national comparisons throughout the book, as well as current and historical photos. This book is intended for researchers and students of police culture and women in policing. It does not rely heavily on one country or region, thus allowing for an enlightening international comparison.

Women's Police Stations examines the changing and complex relationship between women and the state, and the construction of gendered citizenship, using women's police stations in Sao Paulo. These are police stations run exclusively by police women for women with the authority to investigate crimes against women such as domestic violence, assault and rape. Sao Paulo was the home of the first such police station, and there are now more than 250 women's police stations throughout Brazil. Cecilia MacDowell Santos examines the importance of this phenomenon for the first time, looking at the dynamics of the relationship between women and the state as a consequence of a political regime, and exploring the notion of gendered citizenship.

"An excellent overview of the position of women working as police officers in both Canada and the United States, past and present. The integration of theory, empirical evidence, and policy implications is striking." - Nancy Jurik, Arizona State University

An insight into the long-standing struggle of women in criminal justice occupations to move beyond the barriers of gender segregation is provided in this book. The authors take a close look at the organization of justice occupations along gender lines and in doing so discuss issues such as the historical roles of women in the criminal justice system; the expansion of women's assignments and contributions in the past 20 years; the barriers that women in justice occupations have encountered at an interpersonal, organizational, occupational and societal level; the performance of women in more responsible and onerous positions, and their response to workplace barriers; and the effect of women on the criminal justice system, victims, offenders, co-workers, and the public.

Policing has experienced something of a crisis worldwide. With allegations of excessive use of force in the USA, corruption scandals in Australia, racial tensions in Britain and sex crimes in Belgium, never has it been under greater public scrutiny. Examination of police organizations through a gender looking-glass reveals the inadequacies of analyses offered by research approaches that left women out of the frame. This ambitious and ground-breaking book builds on a growing corpus of work to extend issues relating to police occupational culture, showing how modern policing policies look when examined through a gendered lens. Jennifer Brown and Frances Heidensohn pool their established expertise on policing, crime and gender to look at women's experiences in law-enforcement agencies across the globe. Drawing on the findings of the first ever international comparative research on this subject, they show that policewomen share many experiences, wherever they come from, but that there are also key differences related to traditions, systems, styles and cultures of policing. The book raises vital issues about law, order and the achievement of change in criminal justice policies. It provides a thorough analysis of the current state of research on the topic, as well as new data on nations from every continent, and it proposes an innovative framework for analysis. Finally, it uncovers fascinating personal stories and lost texts that chart the victories won by forgotten or overlooked pioneers who developed women's contribution to, and changing practice in, policy worldwide. As such it will be essential reading for all those interested in policing, equality, gender and crime.

A look at the contradictions that emerge when a traditional paramilitary institution is challenged to expand its ideology and practice.