March 19 2013
Gender Responsive Approach to Working with Women in Conflict with the Law
-why do we need a gender perspective?
-if gender didn’t matter, half would be men and half would be women
-another reason is the reasons why people commit crime
-distinguishing aspects of female and male offenders
-both have mental health issues, but the reasons why are different between
genders
-gender inequality and power
-aggression
-men—direct physical aggression, fight
-women—use emotional abuse
-coping with child abuse
-men—act out (violence)
-women—act in (self harm)
-pains of incarceration
-men—loss of freedom and independence
-women—disconnection from significant others
-women are less likely to commit crimes than men
-women commit crimes of powerlessness while men commit crimes of power
-when women and men commit the same crime, women are motivated by
powerlessness while men are motivated by power
-women enter the system very marginalized
The pathways perspective
-incorporates a “whole life” perspective in the study of crime causation
-because of their gender, women are at greater risk
From victimization to Criminalization
-ex. Donna’s story
-abuse, abandonment, drugs, left home, had 4 kids (fetal alcohol syndrome,
etc.), just wanted love, got married, husband was abusive, relapsed, raped
again, had a moment with a stranger, and from then on changed and
reconnected with community
-see how pathways lead to criminalization
-poverty, lack of education, etc.
-typical story of many women in jail
-women view relationships as extremely important
-when coupled with past abuse experiences where love has been equated with
abuse, they are more likely to remain in a relationship even if it is abusive
-offending occurs when they need to do things in that relationship to ensure it
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