The History, Evolution, and Current State of Female Offenders: Recommendations for Advancing the Field

119 Pages·2022·1.802 MB·English

by  Alana Van Gundy, Shauntey James

THE HISTORY, EVOLUTION, AND CURRENT
STATE OF FEMALE OFFENDERS
The History, Evolution, and Current State of Female Offenders: Recommendations for Advancing the
Field summarizes what the field has learned about females and crime; details the status of
legislation and criminological research focused on female criminality; and provides recom-
mendations for advancing the field. Van Gundy and James present the material from a gen-
dered approach with the goal of analyzing the current understanding of the relationship
between gender and crime.
Tracing the intellectual history of feminist criminology from its foundations to the present
time, the authors follow four primary themes: What do we know about the relationship
between gender and crime? What special needs do female offenders have? What works and
doesn’t work for female offenders? What can or should we do from here? Reaching back to
Carol Smart’s seminal 1976 book, Women, Crime and Criminology: A Feminist Critique (avail-
able through Routledge Revivals), the authors note that in some ways, modest progress has
been made, but large gaps in research and policy still exist.
Thismuch-neededbookprovidesanoverarchingview ofthe historyand evolutionofthe
understanding of the relationship between gender and crime, detailed analysis of seminal
work and criminological studies, an exploration of incarceration, reentry and programming,
and concrete recommendations for future research. These recommendations focus on the
importance of creating and utilizing theoretical models that measure the role of gender and
identity, inclusion of female-specific variables when examining and responding to crimin-
ality, and the necessity of policymakers and legislators to address female criminality from a
gendered lens.
Dr. Alana Van Gundy is a professor and domestic violence and animal law attorney. She
teaches courses on corrections, criminal behavior, and law and social policy. Her work and
publications focus on women and trauma, domestic violence and victimization, and the
criminological link between human and animal violence.
Dr. Shauntey James received her Ph.D. from Western Michigan University in 2000 in
sociology with an emphasis on criminology, criminal justice and feminist theory. Dr. James
received her J.D. in 2014 from Thomas Cooley Law School. Presently, she works at Penn
State Harrisburg and presents her research on the local, state, and national level.

THE HISTORY, EVOLUTION,
AND CURRENT STATE OF
FEMALE OFFENDERS
Recommendations for Advancing
the Field
Alana Van Gundy and Shauntey James
Firstpublished2022
byRoutledge
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ISBN:978-0-367-02725-4(hbk)
ISBN:978-0-367-02727-8(pbk)
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DOI:10.4324/9780429398162
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From A.V.G
Tey – You were there at the beginning of this journey; I cannot
think of anyone more fitting to share the end of it with.
From S.J.
I would like to thank God for this wonderful opportunity.
Thank you Alana for giving me the opportunity to participate in
this adventure. It has been a bumpy ride, but I thank God for
your companionship. I will treasure it always. Lastly, I would like
to thank my family and friends for always being there for me,
BUT especially a special thank you to Marlene Fulton (Aunt Mar-
lene) and Melvin Fulton (Uncle Crump). You have made me into
the person that you see today, because you both always shielded
and marked my path. I may not say it, but I am truly grateful.

CONTENTS
Acknowledgements x
Introduction 1
1 The History of Feminist Criminology 5
Traditional Criminological Theory 8
Feminist Criminology 10
Marxist Feminist Theory 12
Structural Feminist Theory 13
Liberal Feminist Theory 13
Radical Feminist Theory 13
Black Feminist Theory 14
Latina Feminist Theory 14
Postmodern Feminist Theory 15
Current Status of Feminist Criminology 15
Conclusion 15
2 Seminal Works: The Evolution of Viewpoints on Female Offenders 18
Conclusion 27
3 Evolution of Female Case Law 29
Victimization and the Law 29
Sexual Assault Resources 32
Most Recent Case Law 32
The Female Victim 33
Intimate Partner Violence 33
The Female Offender 36
Prostitution 36
viii Contents
Drug Offenses and Motherhood 37
Discussion 38
Conclusion 38
4 Gender and Theoretical Testing 43
Learning Gender 44
Gender Roles 44
Ties to Criminality 45
Generality Versus Gender-Specificity Debate 45
Review of Theoretical Studies 46
Strain, Self-Control, and Life Course Theory 46
Additional Studies 48
Discussion 50
Conclusion 52
5 Female Prisons 56
Female Offenders 56
Evolution of Female Prisons 57
Histories and Special Needs of Female Offenders 58
Trauma 59
Mental Illness 62
Sexual Assault 62
Pregnant Mothers and Incarcerated Mothers 63
Gender-Specific Health Issues 65
Elderly Women 66
Publications by Women Who Are Incarcerated 67
Conclusion 68
6 Gender and Reentry 74
Reentry and Recidivism 74
Gender-Specific Concerns 74
Gender-Specific Variables 76
Impact on Family 76
Housing 77
Education and Employment 78
Reentry After Jail 79
Gender-Specific Reentry Programs 79
Alternatives to Incarceration 80
Conclusion 82
7 Gender-Specific Programming 86
Gender-Specificity within Programming 86
Examples of Gender-Specific Programs 88
Girls Gender-Specific Programming 89
Contents ix
Adult Gender-Specific Programming 93
Ties to Criminological Theory 95
Conclusion 95
8 Recommendations for Advancing the Understanding of Female
Offenders 99
1) Acknowledge that Gender Matters. 99
2) Incorporate Multiple Forms of Feminist Theory into the Study of the
Relationship between Gender and Crime. 100
3) Expand the Applicability of Criminology through the Inclusion of
Traditionally Marginalized Voices. 101
4) Examine the Impact of Case Law on Both Victims and Offenders. 102
5) Conduct Additional Analyses of Criminological Studies that Include
Females in the Subject Population. 102
6) Look to Outside Disciplines to Identify Gender-Specific Variables that Are
Impactful on Women and Are not Currently Utilized in a Gender-Specific
Female-Centric Criminological Model. 103
7) Create a New Female-Centric Model of Criminality. 103
8) Utilize the New Model of Criminality to Redesign Gender-Specific
Institutions, and Reentry and Institutional Programming. 104
Conclusion 104
Index 106