Sexism in Criminal Justice System - Essay Example

 Sexism in Criminal Justice System Introduction Ideology entails a given set of ideas and principles that given groups of people adopt consciously, accept as normal, and consequently seek to propagate. The ideologies entailed usually are a description of the power relations, that is power distribution within the society and the rationale adopted in maintaining social order through the given system. The aspect of oppressive ideologies and systems is a major concern for the establishment if a peaceful and consistent social order and coexistence among different entities (Belknap, 2007). The fundamental differences between the men and women entail the gender and sex differences. Gender differences describe those differences described by the society and relate to the given social roles. Sex differences are biologically defined. Viewing the intrinsic societal perceptions, the notable notion of sexism is a leading social concern concerning different ideologies held by the society. Sexism entails the oppressive ideologies, attitudes, and behaviors held and propagated at either sex (Thompson, 2012). The criminal justice system is one entity in which the propagation of discrimination and gender-based prejudice is a key concern. The criminal justice system is a creation of the nations and the society. However, it is key in legitimating and reproducing the same oppression it seeks to alleviate into the same society that creates the system. The establishment of the social community is a notable advancement in the understanding of social discrimination issues and creating mitigation for the same accordingly. Hence, the understanding of sexism as an evil in the criminal justice system is a defining step towards establishing mitigation for such undesirable occurrences in the very system meant to maintain social order. Perpetuation of the discrimination It is apparent there is inconsistent progress in improving the fight against the sexism issue. The issue of sexism and related discrimination acts Sexist remarks and actions are an everyday occurrence, although most cases it occurs naturally at the subconscious level of the human conceptualization depending on the ideologies of that given system. The occurrence within the justice system is an illustration of such perpetuation of the subject of sexism in the society (Belknap, 2007). The women in the criminal justice system continue to face marginalization as they find it remarkably difficult to achieve the senior positions within the system. The very subject that women are ineligible to hold the senior positions in the system because of their gender is evidence of the propagation of the evil of sexism. Another observable occurrence is that women victims and offenders continue to face heightened levels of marginalization in the criminal justice systems designed for men. The system fails to facilitate the women with support, safety, and justice (Thompson, 2012). The systems of the correction facilities and even at the court case level all reflect a treatment of women in a manner to suggest they are a lesser offender compared to the males (Pasko, 2013). For instance, a case occurred in a recent case is a woman committing the act of indecency with a minor and she is merely given a sentence of probation. Such occurrence reflects the propagation of sexist treatment as the case would have been a severe punishment warranting not less than 15 years in jail (Pasko, 2013). Institutional sexism in the criminal justice system is also evident. For instance, the police unit forces the women to have same uniforms as those of the men. The uniforms measured by collar size lack allowance for the female body shape, an issue that women in the police forces have to contend with. Thus, the criminal justice system is evidently failing to address the different needs of the women in the system. Therefore, observing all these evidence, it is notable that perpetuation of sexism in the criminal justice system is a social issue of major concern. Why the discrimination occurs A major factor of consideration in the very issue of sexism in the criminal justice system is the causative elements of the same. It is notable that the society is a key contributing factor to the development of the ideologies that propagate the oppressive treatment of either sex in different institutional settings. A leading cause for sexist treatment is the patriarchy setting of the society. The patriarchy ideology holds that the men are given the aspect of being the dominant sex (Belknap, 2007). Thus, the legal, political, and social climate value the males in the observation of hierarchy in the given institutions. Consequently, at the criminal justice system, the promotion of women to senior positions receives a major blow as women have priority in the process of promotion to such positions. Further the core belief that women are more defined biologically than culturally is another cause for the propagation of the sexist treatment (Thompson, 2011). In this aspect, women are believed to be natures and mothers, hence, the belief that they are not violent and cannot commit given acts of violent crimes (Pasko, 2013). Therefore, such beliefs affect the pursuit of justice as female offenders face given priority of treatment in the observation of their offense in the court cases. Such developments lead to better treatment of women, some seeing them get a lesser punishment even when the case involved is previous. Further, despite the modern society being socially advanced over the effect of patriarchy, it is notable that the society still operates from a man's standpoint. The society reflects men as non-gendered subjects, creating inequality. For instance, at the discipline of criminology, it is a general perception that men are the standard case offenders, and this is a sexist treatment towards the men. Thus, this oppression on patriarchal stands is the essence for the establishment of feminist movements to advocate given legal positions of women. Implications of the issue on service practice The subject of sexist treatment of either sex has a wide-ranging effect on the society and the institutions within which it occurs. It is notable that the service practice suffers consequently when the sexism sets in the institution (Thompson, 2008). For instance, on the issue of sexism in the criminal justice system, it is observable that the institution fails to facilitate the female victims with the expected justice and support. Therefore, the justice system in effect fails to achieve the very objective it is established to accomplish, that is providing justice to all people without discrimination. Secondly, for the women working in the given institution, it is notable that such developments and occurrences impair their growth in the career perspectives. The women face it difficult to achieve the higher positions within the unit they operate; impairing their morale in working; hence, this reduces their performance impacting the progress in service delivery. Further, the women have stagnant careers in the system, an observation that is unacceptable. Women are more often the recipients of the sexist related remarks and cases. It is evident from research that women experience a variety of sexist related occurrences. Additionally, the women experience the negative emotions as targets of sexism, which in effect impairs their emotional balance (Thompson, 2011). Consequently, the sexist issues have a significant impact in shaping the thoughts and mentality of the women in the practice towards the given institution and men, in general. Thus, the consequence is a disorganized and biased approach to cases by the affected party in the justice system, leading to the unfair outcome of the service they are facilitating. The women feel devaluated, a consequence that impairs their ability to accomplish basic tasks of the service. The women gain the notion to view themselves in general from their gender identity perspective, creating anger and motivation to react negatively towards men. Feeling threatened is another aspect of the issue as the person in question may be in a position to either physically harm them (Hanmer, 2010). Thus, such occurrences affect the ability of the female person to deliver the service effectively. Thus, as suffers from the evil of sexism, the female gender effectively suffers the consequences, impairing the service in the system. Lastly, the subject of sexism perception is detrimental to the institution, as when the case of such treatment occurs and the perpetrator is not challenged, those in the higher authorities lose credibility. Thus, when those in the criminal justice system lose credibility, then it becomes evident that the society will suffer significantly in the pursuit for justice. Challenging the issue It is notable that addressing the issue of sexism is still remaining a major concern within the criminal justice system. In the adoption of various entities, the subject of feminism has greatly advanced in pulling down the barriers that blocked their aspirations in career and the societal setting, as well as, renegotiating their relationships in the male-dominated society (Hanmer, 2010). However, despite these milestones, the criminal justice system still battles with such challenges of sexism. The concern is in the eyes of the social and human rights activists to engage accordingly and facilitate a peaceful process for alleviating the concern on the subject of sexism in the criminal justice system. It is notable that the legal setting is on the forefront of legislation against such sexist treatment is available. For instance, in the labor unions, the civil rights act does prohibit the discrimination in employment basing on race, color, religion, origin, or sex (Hanmer, 2010). Thus, sexism is a criminal offense in this aspect, and the justice system ought to evaluate its institutions accordingly for successful and fair organizational working. There should be equal and fair treatment in allocating power and maintaining social order in the society, irrespective of either sex or gender affiliation. Conclusion The issue of sexist treatment is evidently a subject of the notion of inequality and oppression that leads to other larger issues within the criminal justice system. It is essential to facilitate control in the operational spheres of sex, male or female, in the wake of recent sexist and feminist movements all in the wake of human rights activism. The law in place does give all beings equal and fair ground for competing and engaging within the given sectors. Thus, the institution of the criminal justice system should adopt the available guidelines in addressing the subject of sexist treatment within its confines. References Belknap, J. (2007). The invisible woman: gender, crime, and justice. Hanmer, T. J. (2010). Taking a stand against sexism and sex discrimination. New York, Franklin Watts. Pasko, L. (2013). The female offender: girls, women, and crime. Thousand Oaks, SAGE. Thompson, N. (2008). Promoting equality: challenging discrimination and oppression in the human services. Basingstoke, Macmillan. Thompson, N. (2011). Promoting equality: working with diversity and difference. Basingstoke, Macmillan. Thompson, N. (2012). Anti-discriminatory practice. London, Macmillan. Read More