A critique of the connection between gender and crime

Type :

Term papers

Pages :

7 pages

Format :

.doc

Published date :

02/26/2009

Category :

Political science

Sub category :

Social sciences

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Summary :

Introduction.
The changes in female attitudes: Indication of a dramatic shift in female ideology.
Steffensmeir evaluation and four alternative hypotheses.
1. Flaws in the theory.
2. Basis for female criminality.
3. The forming of social agencies.
4. Early theorists: Price and Adler.
Sex role theories.
Feminist theories.
Conclusion.
Bibliography.

Abstract

Official statistics show that overall males commit or, are charged with, more crimes than females (Scottish Prison Service, 2002). However it has also been shown, that in certain areas of criminality such as theft and fraud, female offence rates seem to be rising faster than males. (Steffensmeir & Allan,1996). The reason for this apparent discrepancy in criminality between the genders is the subject of much debate and ongoing research with in Forensic Psychology and for both psychologists and sociologists and. In particular, the increased growth of female crime in direct proportion to male crime, is highly contested by both disciplines with regards to its causation and existence. Research into the causes of crime and gender has produced differing explanations. These range from proposals such as the rise in female criminality is merely an artefact of reporting and prosecuting procedures, to biological and sex role theories of crime, which attempt to depict females as being fundamentally different in nature, thus less likely than males to commit crime.