NCJ Number
70361
Date Published
1980
Length
35 pages
Annotation
EMPIRICAL DATA, INCLUDING SELF-REPORT STUDIES OF DEVIANCE, ARE USED TO EXAMINE THE NATURE OF FEMALE DEVIANCE AND OFFICIAL REACTIONS TO IT.
Abstract
AN EXAMINATION OF INCREASES IN FEMALE CRIME IN PARTICULAR OFFENSE CATEGORIES AS A PERCENTAGE OF THE TOTAL INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF FEMALE ARRESTS SHOWS THAT VIRTUALLY ALL OF THE INCREASE IN FEMALES ARRESTED FOR SERIOUS CRIMES BETWEEN 1960 AND 1975 HAS RESULTED FROM A DRAMATIC INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF WOMEN ARRESTED FOR LARCENY THEFT. A RECENT SELF-REPORT STUDY (JOSEPH WEIS, 1976) CONFIRMED THAT THE VOLUME OF HIDDEN FEMALE DELINQUENCY IS SUBSTANTIAL. FURTHER, A COMPARISON OF SELF-REPORT STUDIES CONDUCTED DURING 1960, 1964, 1968, AND 1971 SHOWS THAT THE MEAN SEX RATIOS ACROSS ALL DELINQUENT ACTS AND FOR THEFT AND AGGRESSION OFFENSES HAVE NOT CHANGED SIGNIFICANTLY. THESE STATISTICS CHALLENGE THE THEORY THAT THE FEMINIST MOVEMENT HAS SPAWNED MORE SERIOUS MANIFESTATIONS OF FEMALE DEVIANCE SIMILAR TO MALE BEHAVIOR. RATHER, EVIDENCE INDICATES CHANGES IN PATTERNS OF OFFICIAL REACTION TO FEMALE DEVIANCE AS THE REASON FOR OFFICIAL STATISTICS HOWING SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN PATTERNS OF FEMALE CRIME. STUDIES OF POLICE AND COURT TREATMENT OF FEMALES IN THE 60'S AND EARLY 70'S SHOW A TENDENCY TO DEEMPHASIZE ARRESTS AND PROSECUTION OF WOMEN FOR TYPICALLY MALE CRIMES, WHILE FOCUSING ON STATUS OFFENSES INVOLVING SEXUAL MISBEHAVIOR, PROSTITUTION, AND FEMALE CONSUMER CRIMES SUCH AS SHOPLIFTING. THE MIDDLE AND LATTER PART OF THE 70'S HAVE SEEN THE POLICE AND COURTS SHIFT THIS EMPHASIS TOWARD MALE-TYPE FEMALE OFFENSES, AS IF TO SHOW THE CONSEQUENCES OF EQUALITY AND FULFILL PREDICTIONS OF THE DIRE RESULTS OF 'LIBERATING' WOMEN. FOOTNOTES AND 75 REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. FOR RELATED DOCUMENTS, SEE NCJ 70362-77.