SOCIAL ASPECT OF FEMINIST CRIMNINOLOGY

SOCIAL ASPECT OF FEMINIST CRIMNINOLOGY

INTRODUCTION:

Even today, the majority of criminological research and studies concentrated on male offenders and how the criminal justice system dealt with them, whereas the criminal justice system is still mostly unaware of female misdeeds. However, as an equal society emerged, this is becoming a topic of notice. Therefore, it is essential to first comprehend what feminist criminology is.

The concept of "Feminist Criminology" describes a wide and comprehensive theoretical framework as well as approaches that place the gender experiences at the centre of the study of criminology and criminal behaviour. In addition, a wide range of subjects are discussed, including female offenders, female victims, how female offenders react, and the special requirements of female prisoners.

Different theories related to feminist criminology;

LIBERAL FEMINIST THEORY: It’s main tenet is that women are subjected to prejudice and unequal treatment because of their gender. And the reason for this might be to deny women the same options that are available to males in all areas of life, including politics, jobs, and personal opportunities.

RACIAL FEMINIST THEORY: It contends that patriarchy, inaccurate portrayals of women, gender imbalance, and male privilege in positions of power are the main causes of male domination and gender inequality. It mainly focuses on how women are abused and how they deal with masculine hostility. Males frequently abuse women physically, sexually, and even psychologically because they desire to control them and their potential.

MARXIST FEMINIST THEORY: According to this, how individuals connect with one another is mostly influenced by the economic structure of society. It backs the liberal feminist thesis, which maintains that because they live in a society where men predominate, women don't have enough opportunity to participate in society. The basic structure of an economy is what determines gender inequality and division in society. Gender inequality is a result of class societies' accumulation of exploitative industrial techniques.

CONSEQUENCES OF FEMINIST CRIMNOLOGY:

• Female offenders were neglected in previous criminologies, which did not include the potential of both male and female criminals. It has long been assumed that whenever we talk about "offenders," they are all male. The discussion of female criminals also improved any personal or biological issues. They were characterised in terms of biology.

• Women's treatment in the country's criminal justice system is brought to light by feminist literature, which has another significant impact. It has helped to alter the archaic and hazy presumption of "common sense" by addressing the historical notion that women benefitted from gallantry in a culture dominated by males and hence had more lenient punishments.

• Domestic violence and female sexual assault are two previously overlooked concerns that have gained attention as a result of the growth of feminist philosophy. The defence of women and girls against male aggression and the question of whether the victims or survivors may get assistance have both been addressed in female writing.

• Concerns such, "Why do female offenders commit so few offences while male offenders commit so many?" have arisen as a result of the focus on how highly gendered criminal behaviour is. Men are seen to be the more likely perpetrators, which has been connected to the relatively low crime rates.

CONCLUSION:

In order to address the considerable variations in the manner that men and women commit crimes, as well as the sorts of crimes they commit, the victims they inflict upon, and the penalties they receive, feminist criminology must first address the problems in the legal system. The study's underpinnings are male criminal behaviour and how the justice system treats male offenders. According to criminology researchers and students, traditionally it was believed that a crime committed by a woman would be treated differently from other crimes and that the focus of an investigation should be on crimes committed by men. This is the history of how the field of feminist criminology developed and became important. If criminologists talk about women as criminals, they do it in a very stereotypical way and think of them as peculiar. In other words, they have generally been represented in accordance with their psychological and biological characteristics. 

**Author:-  Ritika Srivastava from Symbiosis Law School Hyderabad