Female Recidivisim

A child’s earliest exposure to what it means to be male or female comes from the parents. There is an expectant behavior from the child and as children grow and develop the gender stereotypes that are continuously reinforced are further perpetuated throughout childhood and into adolescence. Thus the stereotypes become firmly implanted into beliefs and also as part of the child’s self-concept.

The theoretical perspective of gender polarization is the foundation for these gender specific divisions of male and female roles in society. “Gender

In 1980, the Bureau of Justice counted 13,420 women in federal and state prison. At the end of 1992, it had increased to 50,409. Women weren’t incarcerated for violent crimes but the increase was linked to the percentage of non-violent violations such as shoplifting, check forgery, welfare fraud, substance abuse and possession of illegal drug crimes (Flanders 1994). A 1990 study by the American Correctional Association indicated that female offenders are typically young, poor, African American and mothers. These females have run away from home, twenty-five percent have attempted suicide and more than fifty percent have been abused in the past either physically or sexually (Flanders 1994). The cause can be linked to social and economic inequality and the affect is the rise in female offenders. The rise in female offenders includes first time offenders and also repeats offenders.

Adult female offenders have needs that differ significantly from those of male offenders. This stems in part from the large percentage of female offenders who have suffered either from sexual or physical abuse and also have responsibility for children. These women are more likely to be addicted to drugs and to have mental illnesses. Many prisons have few provisions for meeting these special needs of female offenders. (Government Guide 1999).

includes the economic provider, family patriarch, community educator, voter, property owner and sports athlete.

system because the number of women in State prisons grew 75% from 1986 to 1991, reaching almost 39,000 by mid 1991. At that time female offenders had risen from 4.7 % in 1986 to 5.2 % of prisoners in 1991. (Snell, 1994) Thus the knowledge that gender differences in crime should encourage more emphasis on studying women and crime. The under-representation of women has had an important impact of services provided to female offenders.

It has been argued that criminology is an androcentric discipline. According to Eichler (1988), androcentricity refers to the disproportionate presence of research focusing solely on men. Overgeneralization refers to research that focuses only on sex, but presents itself as applicable to both genders. Androcentricity leads one to believe that while males are committing the most serious cri

Some topics in this essay:
Female Offenders, Summery Prior, Lisa Elizabeth, Lenses Gender, African American, Government Guide, Hannon Dufour, Gender Inequality, Bureau Justice, According Eichler, female offenders, criminal justice, criminal justice system, gender inequality, justice system, women criminal, female recidivism, predictors female, male offenders, under-representation women, substance abuse, predictors female recidivism, gender inequality female, inequality female offenders, rise female offenders,