Women In The Criminal Justice System

Women in the Criminal Justice System: Tracking the Journey of Females and Crime provides a rare up-to-date examination of women both as offenders and employees in the criminal justice system. While the crime rate in the United States is currently decreasing, the rate of female incarceration is rising. Female participation in the criminal justice wo

This book presents an up-to-date analysis of women as victims of crime, as individuals under justice system supervision, and as professionals in the field. The text features an empowerment approach that is unified by underlying themes of the intersection of gender, race, and class; and evidence-based research. Personal narratives supplement research and statistics to help students connect the text material with real-life situations. This new edition is informed by consideration of major ongoing social movements such as #MeToo, Black Lives Matter, and the fight to reduce mass incarceration. The text stresses contemporary topics such as recognition of lesbian, bisexual, and transgender issues in juvenile and adult facilities; the introduction of trauma-informed care in detention centers and prisons; the criminalization of Black girls and women; the effects of an increasingly militarized police culture; and the contributions of Ruth Bader Ginsburg and other influential women. With its emphasis on critical thinking, this text is ideal for undergraduate courses concerning women in the justice system.

Bringing together academics and professionals, this edited collection considers key issues in current criminal justice policy and practice related specifically to women to answer the important question: are women being failed by the criminal justice system? In a landscape where women’s involvement in the criminal justice system still tends to be ignored or lost in discussions about men, contributors place special emphasis on women as both victims and offenders. The chapters cover a wide range of topics relating to women and crime, including: violent and sexual victimisation, violent offending, sentencing and punishment, and rape myths. Since the peak of feminist criminal justice scholarship in the 1990s, the place of women in the criminal justice system has arguably slipped down the agenda and the authors of this collection draw on original research to make the compelling case for a swift remedy to this. Drawing on recent academic studies and professional experience to set an agenda for future research – as well as legal and policy reform – this book injects new life into the dialogue surrounding women and the criminal justice system. Innovative and timely, this collection of essays holds broad appeal to academics and practitioners, as well as students of criminology, criminal justice and law, and all those with an interest in feminism, justice, and inequality.

"The book looks at the underlying social, economic, racial, and cultural conditions of society and how they impact on women throughout society and the criminal justice system."--Publisher's description.

Gendered Justice addresses the complex questions that arise regarding female offenders and criminal justice policy. It raises serious questions about current criminal justice policy and practice that ignore gender, as well as practices that have been widely accepted by mainstream criminologists, policy makers, and practitioners, without regard for their implications for women and girls. Bloom discusses the special circumstances faced by female offenders and the "equal treatment" tradition that has guided criminal law and practice for the past century and has generated the phenomenon known as "vengeful equity." The book challenges mainstream policies of "gender neutrality" in terms of their implications for women and girls in conflict with the law. With the dramatic rise of women and girls in the criminal justice system, gender-based issues are now receiving attention in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and elsewhere.

This interdisciplinary volume explores various dimensions of female offending and the underlying gender assumptions inherent in this phenomenon. The readings are original research written for this book, incorporating various methodologies including case studies, in-depth interviews, and analyses of large state and national data sets. Grounded in feminist theory, the collection is divided into three sections. The first focuses on theoretical perspectives on women and crime from a feminist approach. The importance of investigating the intersection of race, class, gender, ability status, and sexual orientation is addressed in a number of the readings, as well as an examination of the ways society has failed these women. The second section focuses on varieties of female offending. These include an in-depth exploration of women who kill their children, as well as an examination of how women involved in the methamphetamine trade view themselves. Other readings include women who move from legal sex work into prostitution and women who become suicide bombers. The final section of the book is focused on how the system responds to women who offend. Chapters include such intriguing topics as wrongful convictions, how women experience incarceration (including health treatment), second chance grandparenting, and a qualitative study focused on recidivism and reintegration. Each chapter contains discussion questions. PowerPoint slides are available upon adoption. Sample slides from the full 280-slide presentation are available to view here. Email [email protected] for more information.