Criminal Justice Final Exam

Statistically women commit quite a bit less crime in almost every category especially violent crimes. Many people wonder why this is the case because we are all people and it shouldn 't matter that much. Though every year this doesn’t seem to change. So I will be discussing some of the reasons why this is the case in this paper and uncovering some causes.

Throughout history we have seen many theories being implemented in the criminal justice system. People come in and try to set in something new that they think will improve the overall performance of the criminal justice system. To fully understand how theories work, it is critical to first be fully aware of what theories actually are. A theory is a set of interrelated variables formed into hypothesis, that specify a relationship among variables. Criminal justice is the main umbrella that all the other perspectives come under. “The theory of criminal justice involves four main philosophies that drive the policies that determine how a government handles its problems with crime. The first two, punishment theory and retributive theory focused on the satisfaction of the victim for such punishment. The other two primary theories of criminal justice, deterrent theory and reformation theory, are aimed at preventing future crimes. They seek to achieve this aim either by discouraging others to commit the same crimes or transforming the individual criminal into a productive member of society.” (Wikipedia. Theories of criminal law) That is the criminal justice theory in a nut shell, but when you look deeper you find other fascinating perspectives that have been implemented in the criminal justice system. One of these key perspectives is the social control perspective. Social control theory lets us understand and lower levels of criminal activity. The idea is that an individual’s basic

Criminological theories interpret the competing paradigms of Human Nature, Social Order, Definition of Crime, Extent and Distribution of Crime, Causes of Crime, and Policy, differently. Even though these theories have added to societies understanding of criminal behaviour, all have been unable to explain why punishment or treatment of offenders is unable to prevent deviancy, and thus are ineffective methods of control. The new penology is a contemporary response that favours the management of criminals by predicting future harm on society. However, all criminological theories are linked as they are a product of the historical time and place, and because of their contextual history, they will continue to reappear depending on the current

The value basis that underpins the crime control model is founded on the suggestion that the despotism of criminal behavior is by a great extent the most essential function to be undertaken by the criminal process. The absolute let down by the law enforcement to curb and control criminal behavior is perceived as the principal raison d'être leading to a crash of public order and a broad ignorance of the legal control measures are likely to grow. Accordingly, the crime control model takes cognizance of the maximization of the number of wrong doers caught, stopped and dealt with by justice.

It seems as if gender and society’s norms have an impact on the low crime rates of women. Femininity is, for the most part, consists of the way a woman behaves but also the way she sees herself and her relationships with others. A woman’s femininity is influenced not only by her body but also her mind and her interactions with society. A “normal” woman can be perceived as caring, nurturing, and being selfless when it comes to others. Women, who take on responsibilities of a family or the ability to not only establish, but also maintain relationships, are thought of in the highest regards. “Derivative identity constrains deviance on the part of a women involved with conventional males, but it also encourages the criminal involvements of those who become accomplices of husbands or boyfriends” (Blanchette, & Brown, 2006).

In the USA, the criminal justice policy has been guided by the 1967 President’s Commission of the Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice which issued a ground-breaking report “The Challenge of Crimes in a free society”. This report made more than 200 recommendations as part of a comprehensive approach which is toward the prevention and fighting of crime. Some of the recommendations had found their way into the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968. The Commission advocated a “systems” approach to the criminal justice. This approach improved coordination among the law

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 “penis envy”. Since women were physical different than men, women would become more aggressive trying to act like the male counterpart in order to fit in with the status quo.

According to Farrington and Morris (1983, P 241-243) the fewer crime rate among women as compared to males significantly influences sentencing decisions. There is a male dominance in major crimes such as murder, drug offences and sexual offences among others. From this fact, women are also likely to get noncustodial sentences as compared to men and

A theory was come up with in the twentieth century in an article called “Gender and Crime: Toward a Gendered Theory of Female Offending” by Darrell Steffensmeier and Emilie Allan that became the standard reason for the gender gap in crime, which states “Increases in the female share of arrests could be attributed to gains in gender equality as a result of the women’s movement” (Steffensmeier, Allan 468). Many might debate the fact as the gender power struggle helps to mold women into criminals as a victim of their circumstances.

This essay presents an insightful discourse on the contributions Feminist theories and perspectives have made within the field of Criminology. It will illustrate development of these perspectives as well as their enhancement of our understanding of women as both perpetrators and victims of crime. Moreover, this paper will examine how the criminal justice system has historically responded to male and female offenders and victims on a national and global scale. Historically, researchers of females within crime have habitually been male (Crowther-Dowey, & Silvestri, 2008).

Small updates the 1991 research by Simon and Landis to match more resent results of women incarceration rates. Her study looks at female labor, education, arrest, and prison statistics to add on to Simon and Landis’s research. There are also four main theories presented to explain females and criminal activity, which are the masculinity theory, opportunity theory, economic marginalization theory, and the chivalry theory (p. 75). Masculinity theory explains that the position a woman holds in society has changed over the years. According to masculinity theory, female behavior has succumbed under masculinization and has impacted the offenses females partake in (p. 75). As the role of women becomes more liberated their behaviors change to become more aggressive, pushy, and hardheaded which increases the likelihood of them committing property and violent offenses (p. 75). Women start to view crime as a means to gain wealth and

Criminal law is the glitzy branch of law that everyone seems to know something about. Whether or not those beliefs are accurate is something entirely different. Thanks to television shows like Law and Order, Charlie’s Angels and as far back as Perry Mason we have been educated on the basics of criminal law. From the high profile first-degree murder to the less glamorous crime of forgery we have all had a simple legal training that makes everyone an arm-chair lawyer. As an experiment, I decided to ask 5 people to differentiate between homicide and murder. They all instantly agreed and wanted to share their knowledge on law. However, when I asked to explain the difference between homicide and murder (or if there was one) I got 5 different answers. Most of them were pretty close on one term or the other but there was no clear winning answer. I guess we can say that criminal law is like the high school cheerleader. Approachable, serves a purpose but not as easy as it appears. Learning terms in an “as seen on tv” fashion is an easy way to get people aware of and possibly interested in criminal law but as our professors always remind us, television law is for entertainment value only.

The lack of aggression and physical strength puts women at a disadvantage in criminal activities. Further, physical strength is both crucial for protection and committing crimes as well as management of reliable associates and contract enforcement. Sexuality also plays a major role in determining whether an individual would become an offender. For example, the demand for illicit sex leads to increased prostitution, which is an opportunity for females to commit crimes. However, such demand reduces the likelihood of females to seek financial returns through committing property crimes. Therefore, the organization of gender shapes female offending in terms of the contexts of crime, criminal motives, and criminal opportunity.

Most countries have had several problems regarding their criminal justice systems. The Government institutions that are mandated to mitigate crimes, uphold social control, and sanction law violators have proved to be ineffective in performing their decree. The study of justice, crime and punishment is important as it creates awareness in the society on the legal aspects surrounding their actions. The study informs the people on grounds on which they can be held liable of an offence and when and how they can seek intervention of law enforcement agencies in pursuit of justice. Besides, the study justifies the purpose of punishment by using theoretical explanations as to why punishment is forwarded to offenders. Punishment in the context of justice

For centuries, the one plague that human civilization faces is a disease that has no evident cure - crime. Before one can even try to find solutions for it, one must understand what a crime is and the nature of crime. Crime itself is defined as any offence harmful against society. The nature of crime however deals with the motives and causes of crime, which has no one clear cut explanation. There are several different theories on the cause of crime such as heredity, gender and mental defects, but each one is not substantial enough to explain crime and why it takes place. The theory on heredity as being the source of crime is based on the idea that criminal activity is predisposed by human genes. Gender being the root of crime suggests that