Gender and Crime
Crime and Gender: Does the punishment fit? Before the jury stands the defendant. There is overwhelming evidence in the favor of the prosecution. The verdict comes back from the jury, not guilty. Why? The defendant is a woman. In our era of equal rights and civil liberties women have made great strides in their advancement and role in society, yet it seems that gender segregates when it comes to crime. There have been countless cases where women and men have been tried for the same crime, yet when it comes to verdict and sentencing, the results don't necessarily match. If one commits a crime one should be punished accordingly regardless of gender. In our society we seem to have two separate rules for our criminals, one for men and one for women. The key issue is are men and women treated equally by the criminal justice system. Another issue in gender biased sentencing is in its is its severity. Are women sentenced heavier for certain crimes then men. From the start women who commit violent crimes are all ready in the spot-light. Society has grown quite accustomed to viewing the womens role in violent crimes as that of the victim. When the women is a violator it incites a gross media fascination as a novelty.
The media would not give as in depth of coverage to the trial and sentencing would Angelique Kalatzis Sociology of Deviance page 2be of a longer time. The recent execution of Karla Faye Tucker had the country in an uproar. However when a women deviates from her role in society she tends to be harshly punished. The media escalates these women to such extremes due to the fact that there are so few women who are tried for criminally violent acts. Only one in seven is serving time for a violent crime. Here is proof how when a man and women are both charged with committing a crime together women receive preferential treatment. Society tends to be more sympathetic to women who commit violent crimes than men. Bibliography BIBLIOGRAPHY1- Verhovek, Sam: "Dead Women Waiting:Who's Who on Death Row", NY Times, February 8, 19982- Butterfield Fox: "Behind the Death Row Bottleneck", NY Times, January 25, 19983- Mansnerus Laura: "Sometimes, the Punishment Fits the Gender", NY Times, November 16, 1997 . Punishment should be based on the crime. Yet society gave Nussbaum overwhelming sympathy and was presented as a victim herself and all charges were dropped when she testified against her husband who is now in prison. Angelique Kalatzis Sociology of Deviance page 3The punishment should fit the crime not the gender. Men and women should be sentenced alike when like crimes are done. In certain cases like Amy Fisher, Loren Bobbit and most recently Louise Woodward the media celebrate the violence of women. When society can separate deviant acts from the gender of the violator, true equality will be achieved. This is because women are seen as less scary and less dangerous then men.
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Acceptance Essays
