NCJ Number
125771
Date Published
1990
Length
198 pages
Annotation
A former British probation officer uses the results of extensive empirical research to examine the reasons why the courts and social welfare agencies handle female offenders in significantly different ways from the ways they handle male offenders.
Abstract
The analysis used information gathered from case records and interviews with 11 female offenders, 12 magistrates, 29 probation officers, 8 lawyers, and 7 psychiatrists in Great Britain. The results supported the conclusion that certain female offenders are subject to subtle and sophisticated oppression that results from the inability or refusal of correctional and welfare professionals to hear or listen to communications that do not match their preconceived notions. As a result, wholly inadequate categorizations are applied to female offenders, and inappropriate solutions are provided to their poorly defined problems. Discussion of implications for sociological theories, case descriptions, charts, notes, appendix explaining methodology, index, and 138 references.