(..5..)
Female Criminality[1]
Short Notes
Q.1 Criminality in females.
Q.2 Female Criminality.
SYNOPSIS
I] Introduction-
II] Theories as to female criminality
- A) Classical Theory
1) Lombroso
2) W. I. Thomas
3) Otto Pollock
4) Cowie and Slater
- B) Contemporary theory
1) Hoffman and Bustmate
2) Freda Adler
In conclusion
I] INTRODUCTION:-
Criminality in females is the least studied. This may be because women commit fewer crimes and do not pose a serious threat to social order.
Prostitution, adultery, murder by poisoning, infanticide, black marketing, shoplifting, forgery, pickpocketing, drug addiction, drug peddling, etc., are the common types of criminality found among females. However, criminality among a woman is less than among men.
II] Theories as to Female Criminality:-
There are several criminologists who have put their theories as to female criminality. Those criminologists are Klein, Rasche, Smart, etc.; however, Lombroso, Thomas, Pollack, etc., have also contributed to the subject of female criminality.
There are two important theories as to female criminality-
A) Classical Theory:-
As has already been studied, this theory emphasises criminals’ biological and psychological factors. Lombroso, Thomas, etc., are important criminologists in this school.
1) Lombroso:-
According to Lombroso, there is less criminality in a woman because of their physical and psychological features. He found more atavistic qualities in prostitutes than in other women. According to him, women are biologically more primitive and have evolved less than men.
According to him, women commit crimes at the suggestion or under the influence of male offenders.
However, Lombroso’s theory is criticized by Pollock on the grounds that there are inadequacies in methodology and general theoretical assumptions. Lombroso’s study is also criticised as a racist theory.
2) W. I. Thomas:-
To explain female criminality, Thomas considered the physiological, psychological and sociocultural factors. According to him, women have various love in their nervous systems, and consequently, their desire for response is more intense than men.
According to him, inherent maternal instinct in women, buttressed by the intense need to give and feel love, leads women towards crime, particularly of a sexual nature such as prostitution.
He suggests such women are to be treated as un-socialised and sick. He does not imply that criminality is inherent.
3) Otto Pollock:-
According to Pollock, the reason for criminality in females lies in their nature. Women are instigators rather than perpetrators of criminal activities. According to him, women are inherently deceitful for physiological reasons.
According to him, the types of crimes women commit are petty offences; therefore, they are not likely to be prosecuted. He further says that many crimes to be prosecuted, if committed by males, are either not identified or ignored if committed by females. The few female offenders who are ultimately sent to prison are the worst offenders.
4. Cowie and Slater:-
Criminologists observe that the biological differences between the sexes represent the most significant cause of the difference in the nature and frequency of crime committed by men and women.
According to them, criminality is a sign of pathology, such as defective intelligence, abnormality in the nervous system etc.,
B) Contemporary Theory:-
The contemporary theory focuses on sociological factors like sex determination in socialization patterns, differential application of social control mechanisms etc.,
We will discuss chief propounders and their theories-
1) Hoffman and Bustmate:-
According to them, girls are more closely supervised than boys in their upbringing. They are taught to be possessive and domesticated. They are not allowed to fight or use weapons, so they remain non-violent.
Therefore, very few women have the necessary technical ability or strength to engage in crimes of violence, armed robberies etc., Even though they participate in such crimes, their role is secondary or supportive to men. Women get less return and more risk of arrest.
They commit offences of illegal liquor making and selling, kidnapping, an accomplice in smuggling, narcotic drug peddling, drug addiction, pick-pocketing, prostitution etc.,
2) Freda Adler:-
According to Freda Adler, there is an increase in the frequency and variety of female criminals. According to her, as women’s behaviour becomes more masculine like men’s, there is great similarity in male and female patterns of criminality. According to her, the gap between men and women is reducing due to the emancipation of the women’s movement[2].
According to her, drinking, stealing, gang activity, fighting behaviour, etc., are common offences among females.
In conclusion, we may say that the crime rate for a woman is minimal, and their role is supportive and ancillary. As women become more masculine, the crime rate among them also increases.
*****
[1] fL=;kaef/ky xqUgsxkjh
[2] स्रीमुक्ती चळवळ