NCJ Number
134086
Date Published
1989
Length
291 pages
Annotation
Minnesota laws and police and court records from Ramsey County (Minn.) from 1858 to 1949 formed the basis of female criminality and punishment in St. Paul during the period.
Abstract
The period was marked by extensive political and social changes including three wars, progressivism, prohibition, a growing feminist movement, and a change from a traditional rural community to an urban and industrial society. Female crime increased and diversified during the period, shifting from thefts from other women or from men in prostitution-related larcenies to increasing amounts of retail theft. Personal factors also seemed to affect female criminality. By 1920, a female criminal class emerged, characterized by more marital discord, less education, and a continuing reliance on low-paying jobs. Throughout the period studied, females committed proportionally far less crime than males, and 70 percent of their crimes were property crimes. Court records regarding dispositions and sanctions show sex discrimination and paternalism, although cases of compassion and enlightenment also occurred. Overall, female criminality during the study period had many similarities to female crime today, but the criminal justice system has changed its handling of females, increasing the use of probation and rehabilitation through education and job training. Tables, footnotes, appended tables, and reference lists