Introduction
Often a time, criminal activities in women has been identified as a less serious predicament compared to criminal behaviors amid the males. Traditionally, women have been more prone to commit offences that are minor consequently, making up a small segment of the population of offenders. Female offenders do have particular needs which vary from those of their male counterparts. These needs emanate partly from women uneven victimization in terms of physical or even sexual abuse coupled with their conscientiousness in relation to their children. Study also shows that women are more prone to mental illnesses and drug addiction than men. It therefore follows that even though the number of women in prison remains relatively small, the aforementioned facts have catalyzed a trend in the increasing number of women offenders as well as their involvement in crimes that are quite violent (Feinman, 2004).
Discussion
There are several risk factors that are likely to contribute to criminal behavior amongst women, these may include: spousal abuse, mental illness, and substance abuse. According to a study conducted by Karlsen (2002), prior victimization is also one of the most noteworthy risk factor among female offenders. In a study conducted in 2002 on inmates regarding women offenders, about thirty-six per cent of the female inmates admitted that in the past, they had encountered sexual abuse. It is documented that 26 percent of the female gender, who knew their abusers, detailed that a guardian or a parent had abused them either physically or sexually, while 34 percent detailed that the abuse was by a colleague or friend. It has been argued that men unlike women commit crimes such as homicide due to excessive competition and rivalry. This may be because men are from formative years are conditioned to view their role beyond the family core. Women on the other hand, who commit such criminal acts, have a common background and that is the experience of physical or sexual abuse (Van Worme & Bartollas, 2007).
In an effort to address this problem, the issue of women offenders should be examined as cultural phenomenon and a social issue. This is because the society often a time is decisively unforgiving especially in regard to female offenders, as they are perceived to have let down their motherly trait. It therefore means that despite the fact that men offenders are perceived to have lapsed for a moment into uncontrollable anger to committee an offence such as homicide, female offenders are viewed to have violated their character (LaVerne & Feminist Press, 2005). Thus a violation of nature by a woman must not automatically lead her to ruin in the criminal justice system rather there should be equal consideration of women as their male counterparts.
The effects of criminal justice system, as a whole on women is seen in women’s prisons which are still weighed down by policies and programs that sanction and restate “appropriate” female’s responsibilities as “domesticated goddesses.” The presence of gender distinctions in prison experiences of men and women and general access to services or other activities is a clear indication of outright discrimination towards women in prison. It is therefore apparent that even though there have been efforts to eliminate gender discrimination within the criminal justice system, it is still very visible within the institution.
Conclusion
While trying to solve the problem of women in the criminal justice system in the US, it is important to consider the nature of their crime as well as the reasoning behind commission of such an offence. It is understood that women in America have over the years been incarcerated even for minor offences as opposed to violent crimes. It has been shown that women may engage in violent crimes for reasons that are fundamentally different from those of their male counterparts. These reasons may be a response to long-term abuse by a male or even for purposes of self-defense. For this reason, each case must be considered on its own merit to avoid injustice against women under the criminal justice system.
References
Feinman, C. (2004).Women in the criminal justice. New York: ABC-CLIO.
Karlsen, C. (2002). The Devil in the Shape of a Woman. New York: W. W. Norton.
LaVerne, M, & Feminist Press. (2005). Women, crime and the criminal justice system. New York: Feminist Press.
Van Worme, K & Bartollas C. (2007).Women and the criminal justice. Washington: Pearson Allyn and Bacon.