Women Offenders: Offenses, Punishment and Treatment - Literature review Example

Women Offenders: Offenses, Punishment and Treatment Introduction From the beginning of the human civilization, a specific set of law has governed human activities. A group of people was always present who abused the system and continued with their criminal activities. During the last century, the amount of criminal activities in various countries have increased manifold. What was more disturbing was the increase of women offenders in this phase. Women were always considered as a peace-loving sub species of humankind and in many cases were victims of offences. But this notion was completely changed during the last century when various countries recorded high growth in the number of women offenders. A distinct feature among the women offenders is visible around the world, which allows them to be classified into the following categories: Defying an image: Women want to defy what people think about them and as a result, they do something outrageous to change the notion. Snapping: Sometimes women are pushed by events to enter the world of crime. Being an outlaw: Over the last century a general perception has evolved that, it is fashionable to be an outlaw. Various women are trapped in the quest of being an outlaw. Addiction: A survey of the women prisoners shows that 90% of them are addicted. Role Model: Women sometimes want to imitate their role models involved a gang and tend to do an offence. Keeping someone’s attention: Women are sometimes emotionally involved with criminals and they are gradually dragged into the criminal world. This trend is visible in Italy in the Mafia families. Obsession: Some women are inclined to cross the traditional line or boundary and they gradually get obsessed with criminal activities. (Ramsland, n.d.) The above reasons are the biggest factors behind the increase in women offenders in the last century. Offences, Punishment and Treatment The offences committed by women have increased over the years. Women go against the law because of the cases mentioned above. The majority of women offenders are forced to some act by way of abuse against them or any violence or misconduct against them. This phenomenon is called snapping. This leads to women to murder people, to self-abuse or to self-destruct. In addition to this type of crime, a general tendency among women has been observed in the recent years to indulge in petty crimes like theft and burglary. The amount of women crime has risen sharply in contrast to that of the men in the recent years. The blame for this rise is due to advent of underage drinking by women. Women do not get involved in violent crimes like men but they can attack individuals and are more prone to domestic violence. Most of the offences are by girls under 18 years of age. Attacks against individuals rose to 15,672 while the robberies were numbered at 1,000 in England and Wales. (Infomatique, 16th May 2008) The rise in the criminal activities is due to the change of lifestyle with emphasis being led on the need for more money. More and more girls are turning to criminal activities as this provides an opportunity to earn easy money. A general trend nowadays is the increase in the usage of drugs and drinking in underage girls. This is due to the ladette culture, which encourages embracing all things that is not girlish. In addition to the intake of drugs, drug peddlers are also engaging women all over the world for drug trafficking. Women are also engaged in the trade of prostitution. Everyday more and more women are entering this trade and the most vulnerable among them are the children in the developing countries. The number of child prostitutes is increasing day by day. (Arrigo, 2006) The above-mentioned areas are the most familiar trends of crime performed by women. In addition to these more sophisticated crimes like human trafficking, shoplifting etc. has developed in the recent years. During the pre industrialization phase in Europe, women suffered barbaric punishments for their offences. There was physical torture, banishment, and public shaming. The offences by women back then were primarily theft and burglary. Violence created by women was very rare and was against their own households. The punishments in that context were brutal and in some cases exaggerated. Elizabeth Fry revolutionized the system and brought changes in the law regarding the punishment of women offenders. (Women-as-offenders, n.d.) In the present day scenario, the punishment methods have undergone a radical change. In the 19th century women prisons were established where female offenders were housed. But, the law for the offenders- men and women are the same. In this regard, it has to be kept in mind that the nature of offences by women differs to that of men because most of the women suffer from domestic and sexual abuse. This leads them to commit crimes. The female prison population has increased a lot in the recent years due to the increase in crime. It has almost grown to three times in the last decade. With this has grown the amount of mental and physical abuse of women inside the prisons. This has prompted the Governments in different countries to substitute prison houses with rehabilitation centers. The centers are aimed at counseling the women offenders and correcting the flaws in their character. These facilities are operated as lawmakers have realized that putting women behind bars generally break up families- the very essence of social system. (Arrigo, 2006) For instance, in UK, only 5% of the children belonging to women offenders are actually cared for by their fathers at home. In addition to this, lives of women offenders in jail become unbearable. They are often subject to drug and sexual abuse. Many inmates in the prison reportedly have chosen the path of suicide unable to bear the pressure. The best option is therefore to have separate community centers for women. A model for such a centre is the 218 time out in Scotland. This center works as a community center alternative to prison. The center offers rehabilitation programmes comprising of counseling and detox facilities, residential units and day activities. This enables the offenders to be in the mainstream of the society and interact with their families at regular intervals. This center has been a revelation as from the second programme itself, the re-offending stops and there are minimal suicides. The prisoners can return to the mainstream social system without much hazard after the completion of their programme. (Geoghegan, 23rd March 2005) The number of female offenders has increased at a higher rate than that of the male offenders. It has to be kept in mind that the nature of women offenders is hugely different from that of their male counterparts. They are often victims of drug and sexual abuse, problem of parenting at a young age, mental illness, lack of education, unemployment etc. Most of them are used to street life, prostitution, low self-esteem and are poor. The treatment of the women offenders should look into treating these problems. Many countries in the world have introduced correctional homes. These homes offer counseling programmes to make the offenders aware of their flaws and the consequences relating to it. In case of drug abuse, detox counseling is done which helps the offenders to get rid of their habits. Childcare for women prisoners is a major problem. Correctional homes organize events reuniting the family. They also take all possible measures to keep the child close to their mother. Most of the women offenders suffer from mental or physical illness. Suitable care is taken to make them free of their illness. Educational and vocational supports are also provided to the women offenders. This type of support provides the women with options to engage themselves in lawful activities and earn their living once they come out of the facility. The treatment of the women offenders in this modern age is aimed at bringing them back to the mainstream of the society. It has been realized that increase in women offences will hamper the base of the whole social system. Therefore, it is essential to make the women understand their value to the system and cure all their problems. The emphasis nowadays is on treating them rather than punishing them. (Jespersen, n.d.) Conclusion From the above discussion, it is clear that the number of women offences has increased drastically over the years. Women have been involved in various types of crimes like thefts, burglaries, violence etc. Violent crimes by women are very rare and most of them are related to domestic violence. However, the most disturbing trends among the women offences are drug abuse and trafficking. The drug dwellers over the world are making use of women to transport drugs. The amount of sex trade has also increased. The punishment to the women offenders has improved a lot from the barbaric rituals performed earlier. Separate prisons were made for women offenders, which developed to correctional homes in the later part of the last century. This was done primarily to make the women offenders understand their value to the social system and bringing them back to the society. The psyche of women offenders is different from that of the men. Most of them take to crime because of the mental and sexual abuse they suffer in their life. Therefore, it is essential to treat them keeping this view in mind. Nowadays, women offenders are treated in the correctional homes and send back to the mainstream of the society. Time has come to realize that the solution does not lie in punishing the offenders. The reason for the crime has to be eradicated. Financial security has to be provided to the offenders so that they do not take to crime easily. Counseling activities are to be provided citing the bad effects of crimes. The world is now opening up to this new idea and is moving in the right direction. References: 1. Arrigo, B.A. (2006). Sociological theories of crime,the correctional system, Criminal Behaviour-A systems approach. New York: Prentice Hall 2. Geoghegan, T. (23rd March, 2005). Female crime and punishment.BBC News. Retrieved from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/4373253.stm (Accessed on 19th January, 2010) 3. Infomatique, (16th May, 2008). Offences by girls are up by 25% as crimes by boys fall slightly.Now public. Retrieved from: http://www.nowpublic.com/world/offences-girls-are-25-crimes-boys-fall-slightly (Accessed on 19th January, 2010) 4. Jespersen, A. (n.d.). Treatment efficacy for female offenders.Lethbridge undergraduate research journal. Retrieved from: http://www.lurj.org/article.php/vol1n1/female.xml (Accessed on 19th January, 2010) 5. Ramsland, K. (n.d.). Bad Girls. Female offenders. Retrieved from: http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/criminal_mind/psychology/female_offenders/1.html (Accessed on 19th January, 2010) 6. Women-as-Offenders. (n.d.). Docstoc. Retrieved from: http://www.docstoc.com/docs/18206322/Women-as-Offenders (Accessed on 19th January, 2010) Read More