NCJ Number
84546
Journal
Bulletin of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law Volume: 8 Issue: 4 Dated: (1980) Pages: 465-476
Date Published
1980
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This paper uses cross sectional data to assess the possibility that spatial variations in the sex ratio of arrests are related to differences in the social position of women in an area.
Abstract
The data show that half of the geographical variation in the sex ratio of arrests can be explained by focusing on cultural, social, and law enforcement factors fluctuating with urbanity and women's social position. In urban areas and where more women are working, the ratio of female to male arrests is higher than in rural areas and where a large proportion of women are full-time homemakers. This higher sex ratio of arrests is primarily a function of a higher arrest rate of women for traditional female crimes such as larceny, prostitution, and running away. The higher proportion of female arrests is a function of the community's expectations regarding women and procedural differences in police practices. Study data and 40 references are included. (Author summary modified)