Study Document
Pages:1 (351 words)
Sources:1
Subject:Government
Topic:Criminal Justice System
Document Type:Essay
Document:#68489150
Gender and Crime
Problem of Equality in the Criminal Justice System
Why Women Need Special Gender Specific Programs in Prison
Some of the biggest hurdles the criminal justice system faces in implementing programs and policies that effectively address the needs and experiences of female offenders are that this population is so small compared to the rest of the incarcerated population that it would require a significant amount of resources to tailor programs and policies to meet the needs of this population exclusively (Bloom & Covington, 1998). Some of these programs that are needed include child care services, separate dwelling places for pregnant offenders, mentor programs tailored for women so that they can get out of the system and not become recidivists, and substance abuse treatment resources. There is also the need to promote support systems for women so that they can build and develop healthy and supportive relationships.
These are challenges because women have different social needs than males and their interaction style is different and thus places unique requirements upon program providers within the criminal justice system. They are vulnerable to sexual harassment, and to poor self-esteem, which must be built up if they are to go on to lead productive lives. They are likely to be suffering from some trauma that they need counseling for, which adds to the amount of services they require. In short, many of the women incarcerated or who pass through the criminal justice system are in much more need of support, counseling, and guidance than they are of incarceration. They are mainly non-violent offenders, many of whom have addictions or mental health issues. Yet they are viewed through a gender-neutral lens by the criminal justice system. Rather than focusing on equality, the criminal justice system needs to focus on gender-specific programs that are not programs designed for men that are made women only but that are rather designed for women—but this is a cost that has to be accounted for in a system that has largely become for profit.
References
Bloom, B., & Covington, S. (1998, November). Gender-specific programming for female offenders: What is it and why is it important. In 50th annual meeting of the American Society of Criminology, Washington, DC.
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A truly gendered theory would therefore provide a more unified theoretical framework. The gendered theory that the authors suggest has four key elements. These are the following. Male as well as female criminal behavior should be able to be explained by the theory. This is achieved through the understanding of the he organization of gender. For example, the organization "... deters or shapes delinquency by females but encourages it by
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Power Control Theory Definitions and Meaning Power control theory argues that treating sons and daughters differently is what causes the difference that exists in risk perceptions among the genders and so is the cause of resulting delinquencies. The exploratory will therefore focus in situations where two parents are present and siblings are of the opposite sex (Blackwell & Mark, 2003). The focus of power control theory is how gender relations get
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Women have not played a significant role in law enforcement until recently, and especially since the 1972 Equal Employment Opportunity Commission legislation. Law enforcement continues to be a male-dominated profession, although women are becoming increasingly visible at multiple levels of the profession. Estimated representation of women in law enforcement ranges from 2 to 15%, depending on the jurisdiction/department, the rank/role, and the year of the survey (Blackstock, 2015, Horne, 2006;
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Crime Theories and Sociology Crime theories and sociological perspective Crime is an overt omission or action through which a person breaks the law, hence the action is punishable and the person may be convicted in the court of law for the said action. It is the subject of great debate in sociology and criminology that what constitutes crime. Since deviation from law has to be considered as crime, the nature and context