Feminism and Criminology Quiz

Theoretical Perspectives on Women's Criminality

• Week 2 lecture, January 13th
• Quiz #1 released Wednesday after class, due January 20th by 4:00 PM
• Quiz will include multiple-choice and true/false questions (10-12 questions)
• Textbook opt-out deadline is January 20th
• Sign up for accommodations with the ALC
• Instructor's office hours are Monday, 2–3:30 PM in RCE251.

Introduction to Women and the CJS (Recap)

• Past week's introduction to women and the Criminal Justice System (CJS)
• Structure of policing and courts
• 2000 closure of the Prison for Women (P4W)
• Five correctional facilities for women in operation
• Criminalized women (most commit theft and fraud)
• Incarcerated women
• Mother-child program
• April 22nd prison riot

What is Feminism?

• Feminism is the belief that women and men are different and treated differently
• It is the desire to change that situation. 
• Daly & Chesney-Lind (1988) define feminism as a set of theories about women's oppression and strategies for change
• Not a singular concept; various feminisms exist (liberal, Marxist, radical)

Feminism Continued

• The world is gendered and built on patriarchy
• Sex is biological (reproductive organs, chromosomes)
• Gender is socially constructed and learned (e.g., blue is for boys, pink for girls)
• Feminism challenges gender stereotypes and advocates for women's rights
• Constructs of masculinity and femininity are used to maintain male dominance

Feminist Criminology

• Women's experiences and victimization were largely ignored until the 1960s
• Freda Adler (1975) – Sisters in Crime: rise of new female criminals
• Carol Smart (1976) – Women, Crime, and Criminology: inclusiveness of male and female criminality
• Gender as a variable influencing criminal behavior, victimization, and treatment in the CJS
• Systems of knowledge reflect men's views (e.g., laws and policies)
• Feminist criminology challenges "male-centered" understandings of crime
• An intersectional approach is essential

Waves of Feminism

• First Wave (1890-1930): Led by white, middle/upper-class feminists focused on women's suffrage, property rights, and family/child custody.
• Second Wave (1960-1980): Fought for reproductive rights, equal pay, and the idea that “the personal is political.” Excluded many racialized women and LGBTQ+ women
• Third Wave (1990-2010): Responded to criticisms of the 2nd wave, embraced diversity and intersectionality, focused on violence against women and sexual liberation.
• Fourth Wave (2012-Present): Centers on female empowerment and intersectionality, using media to mobilize (e.g., #MeToo).

Theory on Female Criminality

• Though women commit less crime, theory is needed to understand why and how they commit crime
• Theory = interconnected statements and ideas explained through empirical study
• Women's behavior has often been ignored or associated with gendered stereotypes (e.g., "good" or "bad" woman)
• Early (pre-1800s) views of female deviance were not recognized as crime.

Early Theories Explaining Female Criminality

• Late 1800s saw female deviance considered as a crime
• Lombroso & Ferrero (1898): Positivist criminologists who believed people are born criminals not made. They published The Female Offender.
• Early theories were often classist, racist, and sexist, assuming wealthy white women represented the "standard"
• Early theories often pathologized women claiming them as "biologically" inferior, thus unworthy of rights and equality.

Merton and Strain Theory

• 20th century saw an increased interest in theoretical approaches to understand female criminality.
• Merton: Social structures lead people to commit crime
• Conflict between goals and legitimate means (strain theory for prosocial or antisocial means).
• Most strain theories do not include gender and lack consideration for how women's lives are affected by poverty, cultural expectations, and education.

Pollack and Masked Criminality

• Otto Pollack influenced Positivist theories from Lombroso.
• Argued that female crime was "masked" by chivalry and leniency in the justice system
• Women are more skilled at "masking" or "hiding" their crimes
• Attributed this to how women can better conceal their crimes due to the nature of the crime (deceit).

Chivalry Hypothesis

• Female offenders might receive more lenient sentencing
• Explains the lack of harsher punishment due to societal expectations
• Women might be considered to need protection rather than punishment
• If they commit crime, they are considered as anomalies.
• Critiques ignore the dark side of chivalry.

Women’s Liberation Theories

• (1960s and 70s), Freda Adler and Rita Simon argued that increased female participation in the workforce during the women’s liberation movement contributed to an increase in women’s criminality.
• Women began deviating from traditional gendered expectations.
• Criticism: No notable increase in women's crime rate was observed and most women's crime is not related to the women's liberation movement.

Simon's Opportunities Model of Female Crime

• Women's liberation leads to more women working outside the home, granting more opportunities for crime.
• Increasing criminal opportunities lead to an increase in female crime rates.

Contemporary Theories

• Contemporary theories critique social and structural institutions affecting women differently than men
• Looks at power relations, gender, and race.
• Embraces intersectionality (interconnected systems of oppression impacting race, sex, class, and other categories)

Power-Control Theory

• (1987) by John Hagan/A. R. Gillis/John Simpson
• Gender differences in adolescent offending are due to parental control in the home (patriarchal vs. egalitarian homes).
• Lower female delinquency if there is a father figure as the strong controller of the family
• Equal rates in more equal relationships within the family (e.g., mother and father hold an equal power role.)

Feminist Social Theory

• Blends Marxist and radical feminist theories
• Marxist feminists view capitalism as causing crime and male dominance over women
• Radical feminists believe that male power causes all oppression
• Social feminism believes that social class and gender are both important to consider
• Aims to explain inequalities faced by women.

Messerschmidt and Structured Action Theory

• Gendered division of labor ("old-boy networks")
• Corporations maintain gender divisions through recruiting members who share similar norms and values
• This creates a situation where men have more power in committing corporate crime

Intersectionality

• Coined by Kimberle Crenshaw
• Combines race and gender to understand how Black women face oppression
• Many feminist analyses only look at white women, missing the experiences of other women
• Interlocking systems of oppression (race, sex, class) shape experiences

Critical Race Theory

• Developed in 1989
• Examines the intersection of race within criminal justice systems and laws
• Focuses on the exploitation and oppression of people of color
• Can be applied in different contexts (e.g., Indigenous peoples, racial discrimination in Canada).

Standpoint Feminism

• Major feminist movement asserting women's experiences as central
• Useful to understand women's experiences (e.g., victimization)
• Used as a way to remedy the problem of women's experience being narrated by outsiders (i.e., cases of sexual assault, incarcerated women)
• Aimed at presenting different perspectives

Karla Homolka Case Study

• Part of a plea bargain with prosecutors to testify against Paul Bernardo.
• Convicted of manslaughter in 1993
• Served 12 years in prison and was released with conditions in 2005.
• Conditions soon removed.

Karla Homolka as a Victim?

• Documentary presents conflicting views of Homolka (victim vs. monster)
• Three main narratives:
• Battered woman ("damsel in distress")
• Mentally unstable ("mad")
• Pure evil ("bad")

Karla Homolka Post-Incarceration

• Public reaction was intense (some wanted to follow her activities and home).

Next Week

• Readings: Chapters 3 and 4
• Assignment: Quiz #1 due January 20th, 4:00 PM