theory of gender entrapment essay

The theory of gender entrapment refers to living stories of battered Dark-colored women in New York City Jail. The theory highlighted that society’s insensibility and indifference presented these women with no socially acceptable method to change all their position, hence making their very own incarceration practically inevitable. The society’s splendour of color denied dark-colored women the same economic opportunity as well as their very own rights to develop an ideal group of their own; instead, it systematically wrecked all their hopes to accomplish their dreams of brighter upcoming and to provide an ideal group of their own.

Baskin and Sommers (1993) theory tracked women’s crime on early on victimization. All their study shows, forty percent of women from three New York City neighborhoods had been severely defeated by family members while growing up, and thirty-six percent were sexually victimized since children. Various other theories claim that women’s crimes were relevant to selling and using drugs. Orenstein (1995), Sadker and Sadker (1995), and Taylor swift, Gilligan, and Sullivan remarked that “many girls that sold or began employing drugs started to be involved since the result of a relationship having a drug-using gentleman (p.

25).

Ritchie (1996) mentioned that women of black color have different encounters resulting from battering. She pointed out that “after victimization by their man partners that they became entrapped by patriarchy at home and racism outside the home (p. 25). Ritchie argued that this in turn generated criminal involvement. Ritchie described that early sexual abused, racial and class oppression, poverty, and structural dislocation from the as well as school improved the likelihood of the criminalization of such females’ resistance strategies.

Ritchie’s Feminist unit and Gendered Model of Feminine Offending

Ritchie’s feminist model stressed on the part of the family particularly the father figures, which usually according to Ritchie will be “more expert like than parental quality (p. 41). In her interviews with several convicted women, it seems that many of those girls suffered mental crisis that lead to the falling apart of their view. Ritchie likewise pointed out ethnicity and ethnic identity “as a way to establish a frame of reference about community best practice rules, family ideals, and their activities in the sociable world (p. 41).

Ritchie noted these women’s actions were formed by a comprehension of the current and traditional position with their particular ethnic or cultural group in the legal social structure. The girl further known that the physical injuries and disfigurement resulting from the maltreatment such as facial scars, decrease of fingers, blindness, baldness, and burn markings were particularly significant for people women as they served while “constant reminders of their struggling, and it created public humiliation (p. 82). Ritchie’s six pathways to jail explain these kinds of battered can certainly participation in illegal activities and for what reason they had determined such offences as killing and other atrocious crimes. Ritchie pointed out:

“Their sense of being competent and desirable was initially threatened by way of a limited interpersonal success since African youthful women inside the public sphere, and they started to feel occupationally, educationally, or perhaps economically unproductive as their cultural options were limited. As they felt their very own social situation becoming marginalized their community identity started to be more fragile (p. 102)

Ritchie emphasized these women’s sense of themselves shifted when they came to understand that their romantic relationships tricked them. The identity shifts occurs again from a feeling of loyalty to men to humiliation and fear to feelings of anger and frustration.

This frustration is definitely provoked by fact that their very own sexuality started to be a way to obtain vulnerability that whenever taken good thing about, they felt very little control over one of the most simple aspects of themselves, their lovemaking beings. Generally speaking Ritchie’s feminist model remnants the patterns of can certainly criminality in racial and ethnic discriminations. Ritchie undoubtedly pointed out that the predicament endured by black women is related to the society’s indifference toward African American Women.

Steffensmeier and Emilie Allan however, contends that rather than equality between genders leading to more female offense, “it can be female in equality and economic vulnerability that most shape female offending patterns (p. 5). They pointed out that low income is the main cause triggering the changes in women’s offending. Steffensmeier and Allan cited that increased options for feminine types of crime, and trends in female drug dependency since the reasons to get increase in the proportion of woman arrest.

Steffensmeier and Allan believes that “traditional structural and interpersonal process ideas are more or less sexuality neutral, as they are as within understanding overall female crime (p. 5). Steffensmeier and Allan anxious that the offence committed by African American women are similar in the participation of light women to drugs, home, and sex related criminal activity. But Steffensmeier and Allan pointed out that all those African American ladies are responsible to get unreasonably significant percentage of violent crime.

In comparison with Ritchie’s findings the fact that crimes dedicated by ladies offenders had been related to race and ethnic discriminations, Steffensmeier and Allan disputed the findings quarrelling that larceny-theft increases will be due most likely to shoplifting increases, which is misdemeanor, and connected with the roles of women as friends and family custodian and consumers. Steffensmeier and Allan uphold their view that the most significant changes in women’s offending reveals the rise of large shopping centers improved the for you to commit petty crimes including stealing merchandise and wrong use credit cards etc, which are generally attributed to female traditional roles.

In this framework, Steffensmeier and Allan’s watch of the mother nature of the female offending runs counter to the findings of Ritchie. In fact , the view of Steffensmeier and Allan appeared to criticize Ritchie when they remarked that the real cause of most in the women’s crimes were the regular economic relatives needs, and this those ladies were thieving goods and doing a variety of dirty techniques out with their distressed economical condition.

It appears that they entirely ignore the cultural prejudice up against the black females, which in Ritchie’s findings were instrumental for people women’s to commit these kinds of crimes, worrying some items that undermines the mistreatment and battering of those girls. Thus it seems that Steffensmeier and Allan work is indirectly a critic of the perspective of Ritchie particularly the six paths to jail of the African American women.

Does Ritchie’s model plus the Research methods employed in info collection and analysis build on the important elements of a gender approach to theory development which have been discussed by the various feminist researchers that you have read in the conduct of the course.

In a research conducted by Lori W. Girshick to both Light and Black female offenders, of the 40 women in the sample with different offense determined ranging from shoplifting to first-degree murder, “seventy percent from the prisoners got charges that related to drugs that linked to drug criminal activity (Girshick, l. 66).

The research aimed to speak about main and important reasons for the committed crimes; the first three main reasons were poor common sense, paying for drugs, being consumed or large, and economical pressure, desolation, and dread. In the same response to study, a unique finding recounted almost same reasons for these types of African American for committing offences.

The reactions made the following findings: poor judgments, economic pressures, fear, and spending money on drugs. A similar study pointed out that women who devote crimes were also subject to a similar reasons because sexual abuse and other reasons of criminal offenses. One white-colored and Local American surveys takers was reported of having mistreated as a child in addition to her adult relationships. Of course , no one could refuse the discrimination that occur in the society especially to color concern, yet, you will find emerging, and growing elements for female offenders, which usually go beyond the issue of racial discrimination.

The next most commonly mentioned reasons were protecting self or perhaps family, avarice, anger, and helping a friend or relative.

The research therefore implies that in the issue of sexuality entrapment, it’s likely to connect the findings to all or any Americans no matter colors and race since women in general are controlled by discrimination. Ritchie was true in her theory however , Steffensmeier and Allan were also appropriate in their claims about the reason why of woman offenders. Discrimination concern has been since old since American background, thus, splendour continue to happen in a society, and that exists in the world of many women.

Lori W. Girschick features presented her report within this issue objectively as the girl collected makes up these offenses from the jaws of the female offenders. As stated earlier, feminine offenses are categorized simply by some of the pursuing reasons as battered and abused women since the child years (p. 70), drug-connected (p. 71), and breaking the law out of economic needs (p. 72).

In general, Ritchie’s use of info collection and research materials was in range with most of the writers on feminism; it is in line with Baskin and Sommers, Sadker and Sadker, and more. Therefore , I would admit Ritchie’s version and the analysis methods employed in data collection and research build on the important thing elements of a gender method of theory development. Also, it is supported by the research made by Girshick as the findings provided racial and gender discrimination as major sources of fully commited crimes. However , the problem must be got into contact with in different aspects in order to point out clearly the actual problems just like what Steffensmeier and Allan.

Function Cited

Chesney-Lind, Meda and Pasko, Lisa (2004). Girls, Ladies, and Crime: Selected Readings.California, UNITED STATES: Sage Guides, Inc.

Girshick, Lori B. (2000). No Safe home: Stories of girls in Prison.USA: Northeastern University Press.

Ritchie, Beth. (1996). Compelled to Crime: The Gender Entrapment of Battered Black Ladies.New York: Routledge

Zaplin, Ruth. (1998). Female Offenders: Critical Points of views and Successful Interventions.Maryland, USA: Aspen Publishers, Inc.

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