Feminist criminology grew out of the Women’s Movement of the 1970s in response to the neglect of women by, and the male dominance of, mainstream criminology. Examining feminist theoretical perspectives and empirical research in criminology, this key book investigates their impact on the discipline, the academy, and the criminal justice system.

This much-needed book is a concise and accessible account of the contribution of feminist thinking to the study of crime. Tracing the intellectual history of criminology from its scientific foundations in the nineteenth century to its recent encounters with postmodernism, Naffine discusses the ways in which the discipline has established its priorities and values, and shows how men became and remain the central interest of the discipline. Criminologists, she argues, are still reluctant to engage with feminist scholarship which questions their agenda. Naffine argues that for several decades feminists from a variety of disciplines have been studying crime, producing increasingly refined and sophisticated understandings of the phenomenon. Their interests have ranged widely, from the effects of masculinity and femininity on the propensity to offend, to the ways in which class and race affect the gender dimension of crime. They have pursued difficult questions about the nature of knowledge and the meanings of human behaviour in men and women. Naffine analyses the treatment of women offenders by the criminal justice system, and women as victims of crime - especially violent crime - and argues for a different understanding of sexual relations between men and women within the crime of rape. Finally, she examines how feminist detective fiction can enliven and enhance the study of crime. Provocative and well-argued, this timely book will be welcomed by students and researchers in women's studies, gender studies, criminology, sociology and law.

Women, Crime and Justice in Context presents contemporary feminist approaches to key issues in criminal justice. It draws together key researchers from Australia and New Zealand to offer a context-specific textbook that covers all of the major debates in the discipline in an accessible way. This book examines both the foundational texts and cutting-edge contributions to the topic and acknowledges the unique challenges and debates in the local Australian and New Zealand context. Written as an entry-level text, it introduces undergraduate students to key theories and debates on the topics of offending, victimization and the criminal justice system. It explores key topics in feminist criminology with chapters exploring sex work, prison abolitionism, community punishment, media representations of crime and victims, and the impacts of digital technology on gendered violence. Centring on an intersectional approach, the book includes chapters that focus on disability, queer criminology, indigenous perspectives, migration and service-user perspectives. The book concludes by exploring future directions in feminist approaches to crime and justice. This book will be essential reading for undergraduates studying feminist criminology, gender and crime, queer criminology, socio-legal studies, intersectionality, sociology and criminal justice.

This much-needed book is a concise and accessible account of thecontribution of feminist thinking to the study of crime. Tracingthe intellectual history of criminology from its scientificfoundations in the nineteenth century to its recent encounters withpostmodernism, Naffine discusses the ways in which the disciplinehas established its priorities and values, and shows how men becameand remain the central interest of the discipline. Criminologists,she argues, are still reluctant to engage with feminist scholarshipwhich questions their agenda. Naffine argues that for several decades feminists from a variety ofdisciplines have been studying crime, producing increasinglyrefined and sophisticated understandings of the phenomenon. Theirinterests have ranged widely, from the effects of masculinity andfemininity on the propensity to offend, to the ways in which classand race affect the gender dimension of crime. They have pursueddifficult questions about the nature of knowledge and the meaningsof human behaviour in men and women. Naffine analyses the treatment of women offenders by the criminaljustice system, and women as victims of crime - especially violentcrime - and argues for a different understanding of sexualrelations between men and women within the crime of rape. Finally,she examines how feminist detective fiction can enliven and enhancethe study of crime. Provocative and well-argued, this timely book will be welcomed bystudents and researchers in women's studies, gender studies,criminology, sociology and law.

This study of prison reform adds a new chapter to the history of women's struggle for justice in America

With recent "tough on crime" policies of the 1990s, the negative impact on women and children reverberates with social unawareness. Using a feminist perspective, Crime Control and Women explores the adverse effects of the U.S. crackdown on crime. Edited by Susan L. Miller, this book exposes the unintended consequences of today crime control policies: how cuts from social services to pay for crime control can disproportionately affect women; how women incur increased responsibility for family while men serve longer sentences; and how government often victimizes women as third parties when women are associated with criminals. Using policy-oriented contributions, the book discusses empirically driven and theoretically driven implications of today crime control policies. Miller provides a substantive introductory overview and a concluding summary, creating a cohesive text that emphasizes a reduction in crime through commitments to prevention, education, and treatment. A timely book, Crime Control and Women is vital for criminal justice academics and practitioners, mental health professionals, and policy makers. It future implications also make it an essential component for courses related to criminology, criminal justice, gender studies, sociology, public policy, and social work.

The second edition of Women and Crime is a carefully revised version of what has become the standard text on this subject. It provides a comprehensive review of findings about female criminality, women and criminal justice, and the treatment of female offenders. It also offers a clear analysis of theoretical perspectives, of images of deviant women and women's experiences of social control. A new section reviews developments during the past decade and outlines the shifts in social research and crime concerns. The bibliography has been thoroughly revised and updated.

Contributors from the US, Canada, Europe, Australia, and South Africa analyze the impact of feminism on criminology in their countries, where feminist perspectives have challenged the basis of conventional criminology and altered the understanding of crimes such as domestic violence and child abuse. Some of the 11 chapters here are based on papers from the British Criminology Conference, Cardiff, July 1993. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Many feminists grapple with the problem of hyper-incarceration in the United States, and yet commentators on gender crime continue to assert that criminal law is not tough enough. This punitive impulse, prominent legal scholar Aya Gruber argues, is dangerous and counterproductive. In their quest to secure women’s protection from domestic violence and rape, American feminists have become soldiers in the war on crime by emphasizing white female victimhood, expanding the power of police and prosecutors, touting the problem-solving power of incarceration, and diverting resources toward law enforcement and away from marginalized communities. Deploying vivid cases and unflinching analysis, The Feminist War on Crime documents the failure of the state to combat sexual and domestic violence through law and punishment. Zero-tolerance anti-violence law and policy tend to make women less safe and more fragile. Mandatory arrests, no-drop prosecutions, forced separation, and incarceration embroil poor women of color in a criminal justice system that is historically hostile to them. This carceral approach exacerbates social inequalities by diverting more power and resources toward a fundamentally flawed criminal justice system, further harming victims, perpetrators, and communities alike. In order to reverse this troubling course, Gruber contends that we must abandon the conventional feminist wisdom, fight violence against women without reinforcing the American prison state, and use criminalization as a technique of last—not first—resort.

The first part of this book examines theoretical considerations, the second methodologies and the third feminist criminology in action. The book aims to show the potential of feminism to transform and transgress both theory and the politics of research and action in criminology.