Women Offenders and Types of Crimes
Order Instructions:
Application: Women Offenders and Types of Crimes
Conflicting statistics exist related to women offenders. The number of women in the prison system, on parole, and on probation has increased steadily since the 1990s (Glaze, 2010). According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (2010), however, women comprised only about 25% of all arrests in the United States in 2010 and are only 18% of the total correctional population. The latter might be due to the fact that women are less likely to commit violent offences that result in correctional sentences. But why do women comprise only 18% of the correctional population when 25% of all arrests are women? This leads to questions related to differential treatment between women and men offenders in the criminal justice system at the law enforcement, court, and/or correctional levels.
For this Assignment, you think about types of crimes that women offenders are more likely to commit. Also, you consider the treatment of women compared to men in the criminal justice system.
The Assignment (3 pages):
• Briefly describe two types of crimes that are more likely to be committed by women than men. Reference the FBI web resource listed in this week’s Learning Resources.
• Explain possible reasons each type of crime is more likely to be committed by women than men.
• Explain how women offenders may be treated differently than men offenders in the criminal justice system at the law enforcement, court, and/or correctional level(s).
• For your two examples, explain possible reasons for the differential treatment.
References:
Federal Bureau of Investigation. (2010). Arrests. Retrieved from http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2010/crime-in-the-u.s.-2010/persons-arrested
Glaze, L. E. (2010). Correctional populations in the United States, 2009. Bureau of Justice Statistics. Retrieved from http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/cpus09.pdf
• Course Text: Investigating Difference: Human and Cultural Relations in Criminal Justice
Chapter 11, “Women’s Difference in the Criminal Justice System: Constructions of Victims, Offenders, and Workers”
• Article: Covington, S. S. (2007). Women and the criminal justice system. Women’s Health Issues, 17(4), 180–182.
• Article: Federal Bureau of Investigation. (n.d.). Crime statistics. Retrieved December 13, 2011, from http://www.fbi.gov/stats-services/crimestats
• Article: Flemke, K. (2009). Triggering rage: Unresolved trauma in women’s lives. Contemporary Family Therapy: An International Journal, 31(2), 123–139.
• Article: National Criminal Justice Reference Service. (2011). Women & girls in the criminal justice system—Facts and figures. Retrieved from http://www.ncjrs.gov/spotlight/wgcjs/facts.html
• Article: Spjeldenes, S., & Goodkind, S. (2009). Gender differences and offender reentry: A review of the literature. Journal of Offender Rehabilitation, 48(4), 314–335.
SAMPLE ANSWER
NCJRS (2012) reported that of the estimated 12,196,959 arrests made that year, 26.2% were female arrests. The office of the juvenile also reported female arrests as having accounted for 28% of the total arrests in 2010. The bureau of justice statistics revealed results of midyear jail inmates in 2013 as 10.9% being female inmates while male inmates were 4.2%. Justice statistics provided accounts of annual probation survey and parole from the total persons supervised in 2012 Jan –Dec stated that 24% of all adults on probation that year were females and 11% of all adults on parole were women with 19% of women on supervision in 2010 (NCJRS, 2012). These percentages clearly reveal that women offenders are increasing leading to more arrests, probation, and supervision in correctional centers.
Two types of crimes likely to be committed by women
Two of the most common crimes that women commit are prostitution and child/infant homicide. While prostitution is recognized as an old crime globally, it is reported to be the only crime that overtakes crimes committed by males in the criminal justice system. Women have fewer rates of arrest for virtually all crimes. Unlike men and women are quick to learn and correct their wrongs avoiding breaking the law at all costs. Child or infant homicide is another crime that women are likely to commit than men with infant homicide happening a few days after the birth of a child. Female arrests for prostitution crime category have been on high accounting for 30-40% of all arrests made on women (FBI, 2010). Infant homicide rates increased from 4.3 per 100000 in the 70’s to 9.2 per 100000 in 2000 (Child trends, 2014). Half of all infant homicides occur before the first trimester after birth.
Possible reasons for likelihood to be committed by women
Prostitution and infant homicide are most likely to be carried out by women for various reasons. Women indulge in prostitution as a source of income to fend for themselves and their children. With tough economic times, no employment opportunities and chances to get wealthy men who are willing to give them money for a little fun, women go for prostitution. While not all jobless women resort to prostitution as a means of getting their income, many countries shun prostitution as a vice and a moral wrong. Prostitution lowers the dignity of human worth limiting people to selling their dignity for money. States attempt to deal with morality and uphold virtues by arresting prostitutes. Infant homicide is a crime that has been reported amongst new mothers and women (Child trends data bank, 2014). Newborn children suffer the greatest risks of infant homicide as they are under the care of their mothers all the time. Infants depend on their mothers for nursing, feeding and totally everything. After child delivery, most women go through postnatal depression, which has been reported to be a factor for infant homicide. Women living with stepfathers of their children have also been noted to commit infant and child homicide.
Different treatment for women offenders than men
Despite the crimes and offences, the treatment of female offenders is lenient as compared to male offenders. It has been noted that women receive fewer sentences and punishment for similar crimes committed by male offenders. A study on male and female offenders in England in 2009 revealed that there were differences in sanctions given to men and women in the court. Female defendants for instance received fines as compared to male offenders at 77% female and male 63%. Lower female defendants received community sentences as compared to men who received suspended sentences. Immediate custody is more likely for men than women with 10% of males and 3% of females (NCJSR, 2011). Women seemed to be serving proportionately shorter custodial sentences as compared to men. Most women are remanded or serve shorter sentences for non-violent crimes than men. Results from gender differences and offender reentry revealed that all offender genders have the same categories of needs including mental health problems, vocational training, education, treatment for substance abuse and social support (Glaze, 2010). To benefit from the incarceration, their needs should be weighed and addressed appropriately for their benefits argues NCJSR (2009).
Possible reasons for differential treatment
Women are likely to receive better treatment than men in prison are. Self-harm incidents amongst women were higher accounting for 25.8% in 2013. 1549 cases of self-harm were reported amongst women as compared to 201 cases reported for men. The community orders for women are likely to have higher successful percentages than men thus leading to the gender differences. In 2013/14 for example 95% females and 75.8%males received successful community orders (FB1, 2010). Proven adjudications for women are at higher rates than men. The number of women released on a temporary license is also higher than the number of men. According to Flemke (2010), many women offenders have family responsibilities like children and being primary caregivers to the elderly or disabled relatives. It is thus easier for them to receive community projects as they continue taking care of their families.
References
Child Trends Databank. (2014). Infant homicide. Available at: http://www.childtrends.org/?indicators=infant-homicide
FBI. (2010). Arrests, from http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2010/crime-in-the-u.s.-2010/persons-arrested
Flemke, K.(2009).”Triggering rage: Unresolved trauma in women’s lives,” contemporary family therapy:An international journal, 31(2), 123-139
Glaze, L.(2010). Correctional populations in the US, 2009, Bureau of justice statistics, from http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/cpus09.pdf
National Criminal Justice Reference Service. (2011). Women and girls in the criminal justice system-facts and figures, from http://www.ncjrs.gov/spotlight/wgcjs/facts.html
We can write this or a similar paper for you! Simply fill the order form!
