XIX ISA World Congress of Sociology (July 15-21, 2018)

577

The Gendered Realities of Crime: The Intersection between Female Offending and Victimization

RC32 Women in Society (host committee)

Language: English

Feminist criminologists have recognised the connection between offending and victimization. While men are significantly more likely to be victims of crime, women comprise the majority of victims of certain forms of violent crime, particularly intimate partner abuse and sexual assault.  Studies have shown that many female offenders have been victims of crime. When confronted by the criminal justice system, the female victims find their own lives are put on trial to be criticized by the criminal justice system and society as a whole; she receives little if any assistance to address the multiple issues that she faces as a result of her life experiences.  Furthermore, her criminal record makes it increasing difficult to get a legitimate means of livelihood or access to housing or educational opportunities, thereby leading to a cycle of violence.  Despite the fact that many criminal justice occupations are male dominated, some scholars have argued that women are very likely to receive preferential treatment during the different stages of the criminal justice system.  Are female offenders given preferential or discriminatory treatment by the criminal justice system?  and if yes, at what stage of the criminal justice system does this occur? How do issues such as race, ethnicity and class intersect with gender in the criminal justice system? This session invites papers that shed light on how the criminal justice system responds to issues of gender in various countries of the world.