Women and Crime (Women in Society, 9)

The second edition of Women and Crime is a carefully revised version of what has become the standard text on this subject. It provides a comprehensive review of findings about female criminality, women and criminal justice, and the treatment of female offenders. It also offers a clear analysis of theoretical perspectives, of images of deviant women and women's experiences of social control. A new section reviews developments during the past decade and outlines the shifts in social research and crime concerns. The bibliography has been thoroughly revised and updated. "This second edition of what has become the standard text on the subject provides a comprehensive and up-to-date review of findings about female criminality, women and criminal justice and the treatment of female offenders." "The book contains accounts of women criminals' own histories and recounts what happens to them in court, in prison and at the hands of the police, contrasting the experiences of 'ordinary' women offenders, who often deny their criminality, with those of radical women such as the suffragettes and the Greenham women who chose to defy 'man-made' laws. It shows that, although women are less criminal than men, the punishments meted out to them are often harsher, and also how women's relative conformity has led to their 'Cinderella' status within the penal system. The author highlights the crucial role of the media and popular culture, and the complex and often stereotyped images presented of deviant women, as well as the ways in which social control is exercised over women in the family, society and at work." "A new chapter reviews developments in the decade since the first edition was published, outlining the shifts in social research and crime concerns. The bibliography has been thoroughly revised and updated."--Jacket Front Matter....Pages i-xvii Introducing women and crime....Pages 1-12 The experiences of women and crime....Pages 13-30 Women and justice....Pages 31-58 Women and the penal system....Pages 59-83 Images of deviant women....Pages 84-109 Understanding female criminality....Pages 110-124 Modern theories and female criminality....Pages 125-144 Feminist criminology....Pages 145-162 Women and social control....Pages 163-195 Conclusion: towards a feminist understanding....Pages 196-200 New reflections on women and crime....Pages 201-219 Back Matter....Pages 220-242