Stereotyping of Female Offenders in the Criminal Justice...

When the criminal justice system was established, the main objective was to create neutrality and fairness between the sexes. Even though people might believe that there is no such thing as ‘stereotyping’ in the criminal justice system, it is quite obvious that women are constantly being look down upon because of their sex. In general, women tend to be treated like fragile objects that could break at any moment; the truth is that women can be strong and courageous just like men. Society stereotypes women and the criminal justice system is no different. Throughout history, certain crimes have been separated into different categories base on their prevalence. For every crime, the offense and charge is different. In addition, not every†¦show more content†¦Most of the time, men try to justify female offenders just because they are women. One thing that should never be assumed is that everyone behaves like they do because of outside influences. Sometimes people are perfectly healthy (mentally, emotionally, and physically), but they simply make bad choices. In the end, chivalry is used to ‘protect’ those women; in other words, chivalry tends to be used to justify their actions by presenting them as victims. In most occasions, women use this stereotyping to their advantage because they know that if they do their sentencing will more likely be reduced. Furthermore, another stereotype against women is clearly stated by Pollak. According to Pollak’s theory, men commit crimes to ‘protect’ women and because as he kindly states, â€Å"the instigation of women† is the reason why men commit crimes (Anderson, 1976). According psychologists such as Pollak, Freud, Rogers and Thomas, women only commit crimes because they are â€Å"jealous† of men and therefore develop certain complex such as the penis envy. In addition, these psychologists claim that women use their sexuality in other to achieve what they want, when they want it and however they want it. As a result, the criminal justice system incarcerates women longer than men even if they have been convicted for the same offence(s) as they counterpart because they believe that they are â€Å"protecting† these women (Anderson, 1976). Over the years, women have been portrayed asShow MoreRelatedWomen in the Criminal Justice System1575 Words   |  6 PagesWomen in the Criminal Justice System The field of Criminal Justice, like so many of the employment fields within the United States, is a largely male-dominated field. In the minds of many individuals around the country, and around the world, the mention of the Criminal Justice field brings to mind the image of strong male law enforcement officials employed to both protect their respective communities and keep a sea of male criminals under the watchful eye of the law. 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