Page 66 - Aug Sept 2016

Violence and Violent Crime- The Gender Consideration
quite difficult though perhaps not instance speeding in cars). Whereas his-

impossible! Even in more recent times, torically women might have been viewed
women were seen to steal for ‘good’ as immoral, but not necessarily criminal,

rather than ‘bad’ reasons: they stole recent years have seen a shift so that they
food from supermarkets rather than are not only immoral but most definitely
goods to be sold for hard cash. criminal and thus should be treated

equally by the criminal justice system. In-
Those who were caught may cry and evitably, however, the public will view the
reduce themselves to the ‘helpless criminal female as more criminal or more

desperate female’ and an invariably deviant than her male counterpart.
male security guard or store manager
may find himself torn between chivalry Women may also have a more pragmatic

or sympathy towards the woman and approach to criminal activity, violent or
his job. If a man was caught in the same otherwise. It might be that they are more

act of theft, it is possible that (if denial careful about exposing themselves to
did not work) then aggression would temptation for certain crimes (such as
result in a negative reaction from staff theft, fraud, etc.) or are so careful that they

and thus prosecutions of males were may go undetected. Men may well ap-
more likely. proach crime with a more arrogant attitude

and feel their ability to escape detection is
Given that males generally appear greater than male or female counterparts.

to be more confrontational - and this
may be anthropological in origin - What theories therefore can be applied,
whereas women appear to take the path if any whether partially or wholly, to vio-

of least resistance, it is possible that lence and the men and the women who
perpetrators of crimes (particularly use it? It is difficult to state which ‘crimi-

non-violent crimes) are likely to nological theory’ can actually be applied
find that their gender reflects their completely to criminality without being
culpability in the eyes of the law and considered either aligned to one discourse

any enforcement officers. or another even if the intention is to avoid
this. It may be impossible to apply the
Over the last few years, and in same theories of criminality for men and

particular in relation to younger women given that attempts thus far have
offenders, females are less likely to failed to provide any conclusive answer
be able to use their gender to escape into the causation of criminality in female

punishment (though there may be some or male crimes.
instances where this still applies, for

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