WOMEN IN COURT (FROM CRIMINOLOGY OF DEVIANT WOMEN, 1979, BY FREDA ADLER AND RITA JAMES SIMON - SEE NCJ-56469)

• NCJ Number: 56478
• Author(s): R J SIMON
• Date Published: 1979
• Length: 10 pages
• Corporate Author: Houghton Mifflin Co
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Statistics
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: *This document is currently unavailable from NCJRS. REPRINTED FROM THE CONTEMPORARY WOMAN AND CRIME BY RITA JAMES SIMON, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH WASHINGTON, D C, 1975

Annotation

RECENT STATISTICS FROM FEDERAL COURTS AND STATE COURTS IN CALIFORNIA AND OHIO ARE USED TO COMPARE THE CONVICTION RATES FOR MEN AND WOMEN IN PARTICULAR OFFENSES.

Abstract

AN ANNUAL REPORT OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES COURTS CONTAINS STATISTICS THAT DESCRIBE HOW DEFENDANTS ARE DISPOSED OF IN THE 89 DISTRICT COURTS. THESE STATISTICS SHOW THAT FROM 1967 THROUGH 1971 THERE WAS AN INCREASE OF 62 PERCENT IN THE OVERALL NUMBER OF WOMEN WHO WERE CONVICTED IN THE FEDERAL DISTRICT COURTS, COMPARED TO AN INCREASE OF ONLY 20.3 PERCENT FOR MALES. THERE IS NO BREAKDOWN FOR MEN AND WOMEN AS TO TYPE AND LENGTH OF SENTENCE. AS REGARDS THE PROPORTION OF CONVICTIONS OF WOMEN IN SEPARATE OFFENSE CATEGORIES BETWEEN 1964 AND 1971, THE FOLLOWING OBSERVATIONS ARE MADE: (1) THE OFFENSES FOR WHICH THE HIGHEST PROPORTION OF WOMEN HAVE BEEN CONVICTED DURING THE PERIOD STUDIED ARE FRAUD, EMBEZZLEMENT, AND FORGERY; (2) THESE SAME OFFENSES ALSO SHOW THE GREATEST INCREASE IN THE PROPORTION OF FEMALES CONVICTED DURING THE SAME TIME PERIOD; AND (3) THESE OFFENSES ARE THE TYPES THAT ARE MOST CONGRENT WITH THE HYPOTHESIS THAT AS THE WOMEN'S MOVEMENT GAINS GREATER VISIBILITY AND HAS MORE IMPACT ON ITS POTENTIAL CONSTITUENCY, FEMALE CRIMES WILL INCREASE, ESPECIALLY IN THE CATEGORIES INDICATED. THE PROPORTION OF MEN AND WOMEN WHO WERE CONVICTED AND SENTENCED IN CALIFORNIA OVER THE PAST DECADE AND IN OHIO OVER A SHORTER PERIOD IS ALSO PROVIDED. STATISTICS BY OFFENSE CATEGORIES IN CALIFORNIA SUPERIOR COURTS FROM 1960 THROUGH 1972 SHOW THAT FOR ALL CRIMES, THERE HAS BEEN A 31 PERCENT INCREASE IN THE PROPORTION OF WOMEN CONVICTED BETWEEN 1960 AND 1972. THERE HAS BEEN AN INCREASE OF 29 PERCENT IN THE PROPORTION OF WOMEN WHO WERE CONVICTED OF THE VIOLENT OFFENSES (HOMICIDE, ROBBERY, AND ASSAULT), BUT A DECLINE OF 13 PERCENT IN THE PROPORTION OF WOMEN WHO WERE CONVICTED OF THE PROPERTY OFFENSES OF BURGLARY, LARCENY, AND AUTO THEFT. THUS, EVEN THOUGH THE PROPORTION OF WOMEN ARRESTED HAS INCREASED FOR THE PROPERTY OFFENSES, THOSE WOMEN WHO HAVE BEEN ARRESTED IN THE PAST FEW YEARS FOR VIOLENT OFFENSES ARE MORE LIKELY TO BE CONVICTED TODAY THAN IN THE EARLY 1960S. AMONG THE EIGHT OFFENSE CATEGORIES FOR WHICH THERE ARE COMPARABLE DATA IN CALIFORNIA AND OHIO, THE RANK ORDER FROM HIGHEST TO LOWEST CONVICTION RATES IN EACH YEAR IS THE SAME FOR BOTH STATES, WITH FORGERY HAVING THE HIGHEST PROPORTION OF CONVICTION RATES, FOLLOWED BY HOMICIDE, NARCOTICS, AND THEFT, ALTHOUGH NOT ALWAYS IN THAT ORDER. LIMITATIONS THAT WOULD PREVENT GENERALIZATIONS FROM THIS DATA ARE NOTED. TABULAR DATA AND REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (RCB)