Feminism And The Criminal Justice System - 1753 Words

Chapter 10 According to Lilly, Cullen, and Ball (232) Feminist theory has been on the back burner of modern criminology until the late 19th century. As with the other criminology theories there are many thoughts and ideas on why females commit crimes. In the beginning the theories seem to revolve around the victimization of the female gender. Then criminologist took a look at female delinquency, prostitution, and gender inequality in the criminal justice system. Lilly (233) wrote that Lombroso used physiological traits to determine what type of women would commit crime. Lombroso also argued that the women that committed the most crime were more masculine then the women who did not commit crime. He used physiological immobility, and passivity to make the argument. Lilly (235) also wrote that Sigmund Freud believed the reason women committed crime was because they has â€Å"penis envy†. Since women were physical different than men, women would become more aggressive trying to ac t like the male counterpart in order to fit in with the status quo. Liberal feminism wanted to integrate women into modern day society. The argument was that social problems were mostly caused by the ignorance and social constraints of freedom of choice for women. The inequality in gender resulted from the socialization that forces everyone to grow up with the wrong ideas that men and women cannot choose how to live their own lives. They have been taught from the beginning of life that men and women areShow MoreRelatedGender and Crime Essay946 Words   |  4 Pageswoman or a man by no means always straightforward. Since such roles and customs can vary and be modified it follows that masculine and feminine the terms applied to the respective genders are much more flexible than female and male. 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(Law.jrank.org/pages1218/feminist criminology) It is argued by feminists that these views have stayed in the psyche of those in the criminal justice system despite the fact that over the years much research has challenged and discredited these antiquated views, theses perceptions still linger which in turn has meant that as victims or perpetrators of crime, women have been and still are discriminatedRead MoreCriminology : A Strange Beast1582 Words   |  7 Pagesnot only a wide variety but are also highly thought provoking and when though about critically allow for interesting and frustrating debates. In this essay the main theories of Criminology which will be focused on will include: the Chicago School, Feminism, Classicism and Positivism. This essay will also explore the media and how it contorts certain aspects of crime and defame certain offenders more than others based on several different factors. 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When in the fact it could be argued female crime was studied as far back as 1800s, female criminal activity, its causes and the effects in which it placed on public opinion were often disregarded. Over the past 20 years, there has been a significantly different approach in how females are being dealt wit h inside the criminal justice system. This has been the result of a more broadening law enforcementRead MoreThe Theories Of Crime Causation Essay1414 Words   |  6 Pagesstates that the individual will have certain traits will be transmitted from parent to children through genetics and not from social learning. Along with the juvenile having similar facial characteristics, which some believe also predisposes them to criminal behavior (Palmerin, 2012). 2. Rational choice theory states that the person will make sensible and reasonable decisions that will benefit or gratify their interest; therefore the juvenile will choose a behavior that will encourage them to either