NCJ Number
141067
Journal
Journal of Criminal Justice Education Volume: 3 Issue: 2 Dated: special issue (Fall 1992) Pages: 261-276
Date Published
1992
Length
16 pages
Annotation
Twenty general textbooks on corrections and 6 editions of one major text were analyzed to determine the numbers of references to women, the patterns of inclusion of women in corrections, and changes over time.
Abstract
The texts were all published between 1972 and 1992. The content analysis revealed that women's inclusion on corrections texts has increased since 1975 and that sexist language has been eliminated. However, the information about women makes up only a small part of the corrections curriculum, and few indications exist that corrections texts will increase the amount of material about women in editions appearing after 1992. In addition, the analysis of the six editions of one text revealed a contradiction in that it assumed that female criminality has become increasingly similar to male criminality since 1975, while consistently arguing for differential treatment of women in corrections and emphasizing the significant differences between male and female offenders. Overall, the topic of mixed prisons has been included most often in an egalitarian approach to women's corrections. However, topics about women's homosexuality and about children may perpetuate sexist biases and patriarchal interests in corrections. Separate chapters about women may be declining in corrections texts, although it is unclear whether this change represents a more inclusive and more integrated perspective on women's issues.