CCJ4663 Exam 3 Study Guide SECTION 8 FEMALE OFFENDERS THEIR CRIMES The Gender Gap in Offending 2012 UCR arrest data Proportion of violent crime cases is greater for males than females Proportion of property crime cases is greater for females than males The gap in the gender proportion is closing but men are arrested more than women Index crimes males arrests twice that of female arrests all crimes male arrests three Trend overall decrease in violent crimes for men and women increase in property crimes times that of female arrests for women Steffensmeir Allan 1996 Compares proportion of male and female arrests for 1960 1975 and 1990 For minor property offenses The greatest increase occurs between 1960 and 1975 Female arrests in 1960 17 Female arrests in 1975 and 1990 30 Rennison Compared NCVS data from 1992 2001 Showed that the changes in gender gap result from the decrease in male offending rather than the increase of female offending Majority of female offending is made up of nonviolent victimless crimes drugs abuse and sexually based offenses Women and Drugs In the 20th century the use of prescription illegal drugs by women white women was normalized as a response to pressures of gender role expectations In the modern era drug use was promoted as desirable for white women with the image of the heroin chic fashionista Kate Moss Pathways of drug use for women Exposure to alcohol and drug use at a young age Exposure within the home environment environment accepting of substance abuse Early experimentation leads to a longer term of addiction Early childhood victimization and trauma 48 90 of addicted women have endured physical or sexual victimization during Left untreated drugs become a way to cope with the pain Mental health challenges 72 of men and women with severe mental disorders have a co occurring substance childhood abuse problem Women have higher rates of mental illness compared to men If there is no effective treatment many choose to self medicate with illicit drugs Women engage in substance abuse as part of a romantic relationship which turns into addiction and continues after the relationship ends Romantic relationship Economic challenges Prostitution Street level sex work Most visible venue most dangerous form of sex work The venue where most sex workers are arrested Women who work on the streets are at a higher risk for violence and victimization Risk factors for prostitution Early childhood sexual victimization Bargaining became a way in which the victims could once again feel powerful about their Young girls run away from home to escape abuse Once on the streets they are at risk for even more violence turn to prostitution for survival lives Drug abuse 70 of women in prostitution have a drug addiction Some begin using drugs to cope with past current sexual violence and then resort to prostitution to fund their drug habit Others use drugs after becoming a prostitute to self medicate against fear stress and low self esteem As their time on the street increases so does their drug abuse Women in jail for prostitution had a significantly higher rate of drug use than women arrested for other offenses Presence of crack shifted the culture of the street economy More women went to the street to find a way to get their next high The flood of women in search of sex work caused the value of sexual services to decrease Women may trade sex acts for drugs food clothing and shelter Women in prostitution experience high levels of violence 90 of women on the streets are robbed raped and assaulted by customers and pimps Do not report out of fear of being arrested and belief that police will do little Return to the streets following their victimization Drug use becomes a way to cope with violence Drug use is a coping mechanism 70 of women in prostitution have issues with drug addiction Lisa Maher s 1996 research on the use of crack cocaine by street prostitutes Presence of crack more women on the street Presence of crack decreases the price women receive for services Sexual acts become a commodity to be exchanged for drugs Women engages in sex work are at risk for HIV hepatitis and other health concerns dental vision neurological respiratory and gynecological problems Death rate of women in prostitution is 40 times higher than the general population Mental health concerns PTSD 2 3 of prostitutes experience symptoms The Legalization of Prostitution In Nevada Legal prostitution is limited to counties with a population under 400 000 Reno and Las Vegas are excluded from this limitation Laws focus on minimizing risk and reduction of violence for prostitutes Since 1986 women who work in brothels must be tested weekly for STIs and the presence Regulations that occur in brothels for safety and security audio monitoring and call of HIV buttons In the Netherlands Acts of prostitution have been legal since the 20th century Brothels were legalized in 2000 In Sweden The purchasing of sex from women is a criminal act Criminalizing the John Girls and Gangs Girls make up a small portion of gang members 1900s estimates suggest that 8 11 of gang members were females Not all law enforcement counts include girls which skews the data Self reports indicates that girls represent 31 45 of gang members Campbell 1984 Girls entered gangs as a result of brothers or boyfriends affiliation Girls were distinguished by their sexuality As a girlfriend to a gang member As a girl who engages in sex with male gang members As one who uses her sexuality to avoid detection by rival gang members and the police Girls in gangs Life of violence poverty racism disenfranchisement and limited resources For some membership in a gang is a family affair 79 Many find their way to the gang in search of a new family some search for social life and Many have histories of extensive physical and sexual abuse by family members during Many run away from home to escape abuse and the gang becomes attractive for survival necessities shelter food protection Factors that propel girls into gangs exposure to gangs family involvement problems in the peer relationships early childhood family Female gangs are as diverse as male gangs lifestyle structure characteristics of members Understanding girls participation in gangs draws upon two perspectives Liberation hypothesis Girls experience autonomy and empowerment Joe and Chensey Lind disagree with the liberation hypothesis Gangs participation provides peer support network Network helps both boys and