https://www.ncjrs.gov/spotlight/wgcjs/summary.html
This article points out that crimes committed by females have traditionally been considered to be less of a problem that crimes committed by males, but statistics show that there is a rising trend, and therefore an area of concern. It is quick to point out that most female crimes are instances of “running away from a problem” as opposed to creating one, and that most of the crimes committed by them are non-violent. This comment makes me think of the difference in the biology between men and women. Women and men are wired differently, and the presence and level of hormones contribute to that fact. It is generally understood that testosterone is a source of aggression-fueled behavior, and the fact that males have more of it accounts for the difference in the statistics.
In the reading for this week, LaFarge repelled her husbands advances during their honeymoon. The article points out that 92% of juvenile female offenders have been subjected to some form of phyiscal, sexual, or emotinal abuse. LaFarge saw her husband’s advances as a problem and decided to run from it. But as serious a crime that murder is, LaFarge, in keeping with the traditional view of womanhood, poisoned him instead of violently killing him.
The present statistics do reveal a changing trend and bring more questions to the table. Should rehabilitation be more gender-specific in order to deal with the factors that lead women to commit crimes? And will there come a day when crimes will no longer be perceived as gender-specific?
