Essay Sample on Gender, Criminology & Androcentric Realities

Gender has found a way to become one of the central topics in criminology. For years, criminology and crime have been said to be androcentric, meaning that studies associated with it are considered to be shaped by experiences of male members of society. The understanding is that male experiences, knowledge, and perceptions of their surrounding have always led them to define their surroundings according to their perspectives. Whichever way this definition goes, it becomes a reality, and the power to do so has been described as the contributing factor as far as criminology and crime are concerned. Such is the observation of androcentric research in criminology. However, other studies on gendered crime have included the role of women in gender either as perpetrators or victims. Critics of theories of feminism have always pointed out why feminists tend to ignore the aspect of the involvement of women in crime yet they have ever fought for equality between men and women (Hurwitz & Smithey, 1998). Others have argued that if a woman is like a man as has been claimed by some feminists, then, the same view should be maintained when it comes to crime. Rightly so, criminological research studies have long emerged asserting that females, just like males, can be offenders and victims of crime. Despite an indisputable involvement of women, feminist voices in criminological discourses still maintain that the women, however bad they might be in crime, cannot be compared to men, and in this area, women cannot be like men. Whichever way this debate goes, the point of convergence is that all crime should be punished and rehabilitated. This paper discusses how punishment and rehabilitation can be both useful and problematic in gendered crime.

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Punishment refers to the consequences imposed by the state on an individual whose action has violated criminal law. The harsh punishment techniques in the US and the higher chances of incarceration have altered how crime is committed in the country (Muntingh, 2016). This observation has been made for both male and female offenders. According to statistical considerations, irrespective of gender, most offenders released from prison are highly likely to reoffend (Berryessa, 2017). A portion of this number, approximately two-thirds, are rearrested within three years. It has also been discovered that the vast majority of current inmates in prison come with prior prison experience. Criminal lifestyles are also linked with many repeat offenders as they have gotten used to the life of crime. Different punishment measures and related severities have been investigated and documented. Wood (2007) has presented the results investigating the impacts of punishments and how they changed the perceptions of both male and female offenders as far as crime is concerned. According to that survey, 700 adult offenders were involved in the studies that targeted their criminogenic effect and how punishment contributed to that effect.

The fear of the consequences related to being caught and punished discourages crime. Approaching this topic without exploring the crime deterrence theory can only be an injustice to the understanding the effects of punishment. According to this theory, the positive contribution of punishment in preventing crime is not the draconian punishment itself but the fear of being caught. Historical roots of deterrence can be attributed to utilitarian philosophers like Jeremy Bentham and Cesare Beccaria who discovered that individuals are motivated only to obtain pleasure and not the pains associated with it. That is why, according to this theory, people tend to avoid the pains associated with being caught and sent to prison (Phelps, 2011). The time in prison can be challenging to take away from friends, family, relatives, one's job, and other commitments that people hold dear.

For this reason, they will attempt to stay away from crime or try to escape after committing one. In this aspect, crime can be prevented by maximizing the certainty of being caught, increasing celerity as well as the severity of legal punishments that befall the offender when they commit a crime. The question of whether this applies to either genders or both is of negligible weight but still considerable.

Imprisonment is good for criminals because it locks them away from people and in so doing, keeps the streets safe and free of crime. While some sources reveal that sending criminals, both male and female to prison is not an effective way to minimize criminality, and it does a commendable job. The severity of sentences, in terms of the longevity of stay in prison, is still a topic of debate because of findings from the related research point to possibilities that the longer the sentences, the higher chances of reoffending as compared to short sentences (Phelps, 2011). It is understood that shorter sentences contribute more positively to crime deterrence than longer ones. However, a consistent revelation is that increasing an already lengthy sentence results to a considerable degree of a deterrent effect. There are numerous reasons for female offenders to be afraid of spending long years away from home due to their nature and motherly responsibilities. This is because; according to Pupovac and Lydersen (2018), more than half of women in prison are mothers. While there, their families undergo a lot of suffering from financial to social and emotional distress. They would not want this to happen.

The assumption and insistence by law enforcement that criminals must be caught and served punishment accordingly contribute to crime deterrence. It is the job of police officers and other relevant crime prevention agencies to act or do particular things that increase an offender's perception of the surety of being caught and punished. Some of the actions or strategies employed by the police to that effect include sentinels as they increase the presence of the police at certain areas marked as crime hotspots. The effectiveness of this is derived from the notion that the behavior of a criminal is highly likely to be altered by seeing a police officer having a radio and handcuffs. This mode of policing can be termed as community supervision. The criminal behaviors of both men and women in the streets are different, as has been observed. Male criminals tend to fear the police and their activities, and they are more likely to flee when they site the presence of law enforcement officers. On the other hand, female offenders tend to appear a little reserved and are not known to be outdoors (Bloom, Owen & Covington, 2004). It is also less likely to encounter female gangs as compared to their male counterparts. These behaviors can be useful when exploited by police officers in their attempts to make the streets safe through policing. The current observations of crime space have seen uncountable cases of female criminals, some of whom have been described as social deviants (De Coster & Heimer, 2014). The feminine nature has been associated with law-conformity, and those violating the law are always viewed as devious, corrupt, hysterical, and manipulative.

The usefulness of punishment and the appropriate punishment techniques set for either gender is dependent on understanding criminal behaviors and the motivations behind the crime. Studying the motives behind the offense for both genders is utilized in designing punishment and rehabilitation styles that can have considerable impacts for both sexes. The social positioning of criminal men such as exposure to abuse, poverty, homelessness, feelings of hopelessness, and oppression, is considered as the contributory conditions that lead males to illegal activities (Berryessa, 2017). Criminal choices are believed to originate from such social exposures that also lead to living and engaging in criminal behaviors and practices. For women, histories of victimization and abuse provide other sources relied upon to explain the motivations behind female engagement in criminal activities or behaviors. Others are low self-esteem and relationships with abusing partners.

Punishments suppress the manifestations of criminal behaviors in individuals of both sexes. The reasons why men remain criminally active includes the already-learned criminal behaviors and beliefs that they tapped either from their peers or parents when they were little. Through such associations, men's self-concepts and thought processes remain criminal, antisocial, and non-normative. Men's criminal choices are therefore connected to immaturity (underdeveloped self), and narcissism. Women raised in difficult familial circumstance also tend to revert to crimes, but those experiences are viewed to have influenced them differently. A criminal woman seeks self-medication and self-esteem, meaning she possesses a permeable and not an amorphous self (De Coster & Heimer, 2014). Thus, it has come to light that men's criminality histories are related to early life experiences while women motivations are from current issues and this is why crime is viewed as a way out of distress for female offenders.

Punishment and rehabilitation styles designed with such motivations as considerations have lasting impacts for either party. Solitary confinement is reserved for offenders that are violent and disruptive to others. It is one of the techniques that deny criminal freedom and association with others. Secluded rooms can be lonely and cold, meaning that no one would voluntarily want to go to solitary unless there is danger of attack from other inmates. Studies on the female point of view show that women undergo more severe punishment for petty offenses in prisons than men (Pupovac & Lydersen, 2018). A significant number of women get to be confined in solitary cells, and the reason behind this observation is unclear.

Harsh punishment reduces crime rates. The US punishment policy has changed over the years due to the rising cases of incarceration. The criminal justice system has become much punitive, sending more criminals to prisons and extending their stay inside. Due to such changes, certain aspects like crime enhancement adjustments were made to distinguish between incapacitation and deterrence. For instance, a law was passed in California in 1982, and it proposed that courts should lengthen the stay of repeat offenders in prisons especially in cases like homicide, rape, aggravated assault, robbery, and residential burglary (Muntingh, 2016). This led to reduced crime rates within three years in which crime rates fell by about 8 percent and later fell further by 20 percent seven years after the law was implemented.

Public opinion has long supported the use of prisons for criminals as this serves them their just desserts. Punishment is therefore endorsed across all social groups relatively uniformly, and the majority of the public views punishment as the fundamental justification as far as sentencing is concerned (Muntingh, 2016). Public safety is one of the sole responsibilities of law enforcement. So, when there is confidence from the public that punishment is helping in making streets batter, then it cannot be disputed. Sentence leaves the wrongdoer with attractive incentives from which they can so much gain when they give up crime. The thought of going to prison can be scary and explains why most criminals might want to dread making criminal choices that might send them behind bars.

Conclusion

With all the advantages of punishment in crime reduction, some studies are showing otherwise. Criminal activities have been found to increase with severity in punishment (Muntingh, 2016). Most offenders that have been released after undergoing sentencing are always rearrested for a repeat of crimes having mastered criminal lifestyles in prison. Wood (20...