ISSUES IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE HISTORY
Title: Gender and Crime
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Criminologists never deny that there is a gender gap in crime and deviance. Men have higher arrest rates than women in nearly all crime categories except prostitution. However, the trends of crime committed by females are relatively more complex than males.
In the article “Patterns of Crime in 19th and early 20th Century Britain”, the relationship between crime and historical events are detailed. The document highlighted how the crime rate in Britain between 1750 to 1960 fluctuated. The rates were way higher in the time of the Industrial Revolution, wars. Thus, many changes in the punishment, the court system, police service have been observed during this period. From 1800-1914, the number of female crimes increased. However, at that time, British jurisdiction used to classify deviant women as psychologically ill patients and acquitted them from criminal proceedings. It was the time when prostitution was categorized as “women’s problem”. The author wrote this document with a clear intention of highlighting the crime prospect of the 18th century and to describe how women deviancy was referred to at that period. Although the document is a valuable resource to acknowledge “criminal justice history”, the relation between gender and crime and how the jurisdiction accounted for prostitution is not detailed enough.
“Gender, Crime, and Justice: Vice and Virtue 1914-1939” epitomized female criminal activity. It detailed how female protesters and deviants were tortured in different ways. Unlike the 18th century, women in the 19th century experienced similar imprisonment like men. However, their condition was way more obnoxious than men. They were sexually abused, strip-searched, forced to take public baths. During this period “feeble-mindedness” was linked with prostitution and the jurisdiction started to control the activities of prostitutes. Through this article, the author represented the situation of women in the mid-nineteenth century. Although due to the emergence of modern science, the court started to consider women deviancy as a punishable offense, their situation in the prison is telling something else. The document is extremely crucial in “criminal and justice history” to portray women’s situation in a prison system “designed by men for men”.
The article “Gender and Regulation: state regulation, public morality, and the policing of sexuality” delivered its focus more on the Second World War and the post-war period. It detailed how the law started to modify itself with the “double moral standard” from 1915. From this time, prostitution was no longer considered a “women’s problem”. Post World War II Britain perceived an increased number of street prostitution as well as an increased link with police action. The fine and penalties for prostitutes also increased. From 1959, the dual standards of jurisdiction started to decrease and so did the number of women offenders. The author in this article clearly highlighted the transitioning phase of British law and police services. It is a remarkable period in “criminal and justice history” as from this time women started to take an active part in the police services.
Many criminologists argue that the greater “leniency” of Justice boards towards the female offenders could be a reason for having a lower rate of crimes from the women ‘s side. However, there exist multiple other factors for having lower rates.