NCJ Number
241772
Journal
Aggression and Violent Behavior Volume: 18 Issue: 1 Dated: January/February 2013 Pages: 147-151
Date Published
February 2013
Length
5 pages
Annotation
Following a general discussion of research findings on gender and crime, the scope and structure of female criminality in Slovenia is documented, as well as penal proceedings for female inmates and aftercare following release.
Abstract
Interpreting female criminality in terms of the social differentiation of gender roles is one of the first and still is a method for analyzing female criminality. Gender is a social construct that involves different social expectations for men and women, gender-based stereotypes, socially prescribed behavior patterns for the sexes, and gender-based social control. In order to understand the criminality of women, it is important to examine the concepts of masculinity and femininity, which in Slovenian society are based on a patriarchal order and heterosexual relationships. Gender is also affected by other social divisions as well, including race, class, and mental illness. As elsewhere in the world, the criminality of women in Slovenia presents a lesser social problem than the criminality of men. This is reflected in the sparse research on female offenders in Slovenia. Existing research shows that women offenders in Slovenia are punished more leniently than men, which includes a less likelihood that women offenders will be imprisoned. Feminist-oriented criminologists, on the other hand, are attempting to present a more complex profile of women in the criminal justice system, as they call attention to the discrepancy between the rhetoric of leniency and the practices in reality. Female criminal offenses in Slovenia composed 4 percent of all criminal acts in 2007. The largest age group of female inmates is between the ages of 30 and 39. Slovenia has one central prison for women. Since its opening in 1975, the institution has pursued a socio-therapeutic approach in programming. Preparation or release and aftercare services are provided for women. 30 references