NCJ Number
237141
Journal
Criminology & Criminal Justice Volume: 11 Issue: 4 Dated: September 2011 Pages: 325-344
Date Published
September 2011
Length
20 pages
Annotation
This study examined the efficacy of community disposals and how they are experienced by women and workers.
Abstract
Despite the increasing numbers of women given community sentences in the United Kingdom and in other jurisdictions in recent years, there has been relatively little research into women's experiences of these disposals. This is particularly surprising given what is known about the distinctive characteristics of women in conflict with the law and the gendered nature of pathways to crime. This article draws upon the experiences of women made subject to a range of community sentences to identify recurring themes including the complexity of women's problems, the significance of stigma, trauma and abuse, the importance to women of their supervisory relationships, the relevance of self-efficacy and the nature of barriers to compliance. The article considers the consequences of the discourses of 'penalty' when underpinned by ideological assumptions and expectations based on gender relations. The implications for the supervision of women in the community are considered, while acknowledging that community sanctions are unlikely in themselves to be capable of addressing broader issues that bring women into and retain them in the criminal justice system. (Published Abstract)