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Gender, Crime, and Criminal Justice:. A Cross-National Perspective. Distinguished Lecture Series: March 3, 2011. Annette Kuhlmann, PhD Dept. Anthropology/Sociology. Some Highlights of the US Criminal Justice System. In 2009 2.3 million people incarcerated
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Gender, Crime, and Criminal Justice: A Cross-National Perspective Distinguished Lecture Series: March 3, 2011 Annette Kuhlmann, PhD Dept. Anthropology/Sociology
Some Highlights of the US Criminal Justice System In 2009 • 2.3 million people incarcerated • 7.2 million people on probation, parole, jail, or state or federal prison • 3.1% of adult residents or 1 in every 32 adults under correctional supervision • 5% of all adult men • 1% of all adult women
U.S. Correctional Population and Gender • 1990 Prison Population: - 86% male - 14% female • 2009 Prison Population: - 82% male -18% female • Rates by Race: • 1 in 703 Black women • 1 in 1,356 Hispanic women • 1 in 1,987 White women
Increase in Criminal Justice Expenditures Billions of Dollars
Why the High Incarceration Rates in the US? • Penal Policies • War on Drugs • 3 Strikes and You Are Out • Mandatory Sentencing • Truth in Sentencing • Length of Sentences
Why a Focus on Gender? • Women are the fastest growing subgroup of prisoners • Female incarceration rates differ by race/ethnicity • Impact on families, especially children • Every aspect of criminal justice applies differently to women than to men
Why a Focus on Gender? (continued) • Women commit different crimes than men • Women are treated differently in court • Women experience prison differently • Women encounter different challenges on re-entry
Women and Crime • Different Crimes • Property Crimes • Drug Related Crimes • Violent Crimes • Different Underlying Factors
Highlights of Criminal Justice System in Germany • States ↔ Federal Government • Drug Policies • Sentencing • < 70 000 Convicts in 194 prisons • 3779 or 5.3% are female • Ausländerkriminalität
Women in German Prisons • Background • Length of Sentences • Family and Children • Furlough (Vollzugslockerung) • Open – Closed Institutions • Work • Benefits • Mental and Physical Health
Conclusion • Differences men – women in regard to crime and incarceration • Purpose of Prisons • Lives spun out of control: Underlying factors • Abuse • Position in society/economy • Mothers • Costs