NCJ Number
115340
Editor(s)
B R Price,
N J Sokoloff
Date Published
1982
Length
510 pages
Annotation
Following a review of theories of female criminality, the nature of laws, their creation and reform, and their relationship to women are explored.
Abstract
Issues of crime causation are considered in relation to female adult and juvenile offenders and offenses, and the possible relationship between women's liberation and female criminality is considered. The treatment of women once convicted and the conditions and barriers they face in prison and after release are depicted. Causes of the criminal victimization of women, particularly social norms and attitudes related to sex roles, are discussed. Particular attention is given to rape, wife beating, adult and juvenile prostitution, incest, pornography, and sexual harassment. Next, women workers' roles as judges, lawyers, police officers (including patrol officers), and correctional officers are reviewed both historically and currently. Focus is on sexual discrimination and the structural and sociocultural barriers faced by women in a traditionally male-dominated occupational arena. Finally, the implications of Marxist feminism for the criminal justice system and steps for eliminating sexism within it are described. Chapter commentaries, footnotes, and references. (For individual chapters see NCJ-115341 through NCJ-115363)