Women and the Criminal Justice System: Failing Victims and Offenders? - Tapa dura

“Just over ten years ago the Corston report highlighted that the prison system was largely designed by men for men.  The papers included in this volume reflect on women’s experiences in the criminal justice system: they consider what has, or has not, been achieved in the period since Corston, the current state of play, and what we need to think about in terms of future strategies.    Its focus is on women’s involvement in the criminal justice system as a whole, rather than being simply characterized as “victims” or “offenders”. Written by both leading experts and those relatively new to the field, it provides a timely and refreshing perspective that will be of great interest to academics and policy makers alike. The insights contained in each of the papers underscore the need for women’s experiences to be at the centre of debates on crime and criminal justice policy.” (Jayne Mooney, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, USA)

Bringing together academics and professionals, this edited collection considers key issues in current criminal justice policy and practice related specifically to women to answer the important question: are women being failed by the criminal justice system? In a landscape where women’s involvement in the criminal justice system still tends to be ignored or lost in discussions about men, contributors place special emphasis on women as both victims and offenders. The chapters cover a wide range of topics relating to women and crime, including: violent and sexual victimisation, violent offending, sentencing and punishment, and rape myths.

Since the peak of feminist criminal justice scholarship in the 1990s, the place of women in the criminal justice system has arguably slipped down the agenda and the authors of this collection draw on original research to make the compelling case for a swift remedy to this. Drawing on recent academic studies and professional experience to set an agenda for future research – as well as legal and policy reform – this book injects new life into the dialogue surrounding women and the criminal justice system. Innovative and timely, this collection of essays holds broad appeal to academics and practitioners, as well as students of criminology, criminal justice and law, and all those with an interest in feminism, justice, and inequality.