women in crime exam 1

cesare beccaria

classical criminology

WI Thomas

criminality is a socially induced pathology- not biological

women are the property of men

women = promiscuous if not adhering to gender roles

womens sex outside of marriage= criminality

middle class women= less criminal bc they protect their chastity but poor women= manipulate men into sex to achieve goals

Freud

women are anatomically inferior to men- penis envy

womens duties as wives and mothers

medically treating women to relieve them of deviance- lobotomies, shock therapy

Pollak

biological and sociological factors contribute to crime

women mask their crimes better bc they are deceitful- fake orgasms

receive more chivalrous treatment so are perceived as less criminal

Lombroso

father of criminology

racial hierarchy- african americans at bottom as savages

anyone engaging in crim behavior is less evolved than law abiders

women engaging in crim behavior are masculine and something is wrong w them

women less likely to commit crimes bc less evolved and inferior to men

madonnas- loyal and submissive to husbands

whores- deviant and masculine

positivist theory

biological determinism accounts for female criminality

offending women are masculine which makes them incompetent as women

differences between male and female criminality is due to sex not gender

biosocial and evolutionary theories (BSETs)

explanation of sexual and intimate partner abuse

increase in testosterone= men more likely to commit crime

women want agressive men

some are born delinquent

Emilie Durkheim

traditional strain theory

anomie- state of normlessness and disorder

in states like this ppl would react in deviant ways

Robert Merton

traditional strain theory

everyone subscribes to traditional values like the american dream

strain and frustration occurs when ppl are taught the same goals but have unequal access to achieve them

inability to achieve american dream= offending

Albert Cohen

traditional strain theory

used Mertons theory to focus on youth delinquent gangs

boys have broad and varied goals whereas girls have narrow goals centered around boys

boys may offend to achieve broad ambitions, women express delinquency through promiscuity

men are rational doers and achievers while women exist to help men

Opportunity theory

Cloward and Ohlin

delinquent boys had unequal legal opportunities to obtain the american dream

girls have more frivolous concerns than men so are more likely to be promiscuous

youth have varying access to learn criminal behaviors which assist one in becoming that

General strain theory

Robert agnew

Presence of negative stimuli + Loss of positive stimuli+ failure to achieve goals= offending

importance of goals varies based on race, gender, class

the more severe and lasting a strain= the more likely anger and criminal behavior

differential association theory

Sutherland and Cressey

criminal behavior is learned from delinquent peers

delinquent peers= strongest predictor of offending

males more free to take part in range of behaviors, girls more constrained to family

gender neutral approach- avoid talk of women

classical conditioning

Pavlov’s dog: association of bell with food

Opperant conditioning

BF Skinner

behavior modified through reinforcement or punishment

social learning theory

Ronald akers developed from BF Skinner

physically aggressive behavior and SLT

SLT depicted using bobo doll by Albert Bandura

new behavior can be learned by imitating and observing others; can also be unlearned

interacting with delinquent others—> definitions favorable to crime—> modeling or imitation—> positive reinforcement for crim behavior—> delinquency

fear of crime is gendered: more common in women

Social bond theory

Travis Hirschi

conventional ties motivating people to obey the law

4 categories of social bonds

attachment, commitment, involvement, belief

Social control theory

Gottfredson and Hirschi- general theory of crime

bridges the classical and positivist traditions

individuals w low self control and access to commit offenses are more likely to offend

ineffective child rearing—> low self control—> delinquency

womens emancipation hypothesis

publication of Adler’s Sisters in crime and RJ Simons Women and Crime

the womens liberation movement increases female crime rate

feminism makes women behave like men and more competitive

what does it mean to take an intersectional approach?

to consider multiple affecting factors such as race, ethnicity, sexuality, & class

Why is taking an intersectional approach necessary for our
understanding of women, crime, and justice?

bc sexism doesnt exist in a vacuum, it intersects with multiple factors such as race, class, and sexuality. Understanding these factors allows us to view women and crime from all angles

sex vs gender

sex= biological differences

gender= societal roles

what is feminism?

value change that enhances gender equality

women as offenders

not much known initially bc expected to conform as mothers—> then seen as masculine

women as victims

female victims are often explained away by many theories

crime

conduct that violates the LAW

deviance

human behavior that violates social norms

delinquency

violations of law and misbehaviors committed by under 18 yos