NCJ Number
51920
Date Published
1978
Length
5 pages
Annotation
THE FINDINGS OF A STUDY DEALING WITH WOMEN AND CRIME, FUNDED BY THE LEAA AND DENOUNCED BY THE AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION (ACLU), ARE DISCUSSED.
Abstract
THE STUDY REPORT ADDRESSES FEMALE DEFENDANTS IN WASHINGTON, D.C., FOR THE 1974-1975 PERIOD. ITS MOST WIDELY PUBLICIZED STATEMENT PURPORTS TO SHOW A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE WOMEN'S MOVEMENT AND INCREASED ARREST PATTERNS AMONG WOMEN FOR ECONOMIC CRIMES. THE ACLU BELIEVES THAT THIS STATEMENT IS GROSSLY MISLEADING, THAT IT IS NOT A CONCLUSION OF THE LEAA STUDY, AND THAT THE AUTHOR OF THE STUDY DOES NOT DOCUMENT IT. THE PORTION OF THE STUDY THAT IS BASED ON FAIRLY ACCURATE UNIFORM CRIME REPORT STATISTICS FROM THE LATE 1960'S AND EARLY 1970'S SHOWS THAT INCREASES HAVE OCCURRED IN PROPERTY AND ECONOMIC CRIMES AMONG WOMEN, WHILE THE LEVEL OF VIOLENT CRIMES COMMITTED BY WOMEN HAS REMAINED STABLE. YET, IN ATTRIBUTING INCREASED ECONOMIC CRIME AMONG WOMEN TO INCREASED ECONOMIC INDEPENDENCE AND JOB OPPORTUNITIES RESULTING FROM THE WOMEN'S MOVEMENT, THE AUTHOR NEGLECTS TO PROVIDE MORE THAN A CURSORY DEMOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS OF WOMEN ARRESTED FOR CRIMES. DEMOGRAPHIC DATA SHOW THAT THE MAJORITY OF FEMALE OFFENDERS ARE NOT THE LIBERATED UPWARDLY MOBILE WORKING WOMEN CITED IN THE STUDY AS THE CULPRITS IN RISING ECONOMIC CRIME FIGURES. THE FACT THAT ECONOMIC CRIME IS RELATED CLOSELY TO ECONOMIC NEED IS IGNORED IN THE STUDY. ALTHOUGH THE INCREASE IN FRAUD ARRESTS MIGHT BE CONSTRUED TO VERIFY THE AUTHOR'S STATEMENT, A CLOSER EXAMINATION OF THOSE ARRESTS PROVES THE OPPOSITE. ADDITIONALLY, THE AUTHOR ATTEMPTS TO SHOW THAT FEWER WOMEN END UP IN PRISON THAN MEN AND THAT JUDGES ARE MORE LENIENT TOWARD WOMEN. TRENDS INDICATE, HOWEVER, THAT WOMEN ARE BEING LOCKED UP AT INCREASING RATES. THE IMPORTANCE OF ACCURACY IN RESEARCH FUNDED BY THE LEAA IS STRESSED. (DEP)