WOMEN, CRIME AND THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM

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WOMEN, CRIME AND THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM

• MEDIA PORTRAYAL OF FEMALE CRIME /CRIMINALS

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Media

• MEDIA PROLIFERATION (ESP SINCE 1950s)
• THE DISCOURSES OF THE PRESS IS AN IMPORTANT
  SUBJECT FOR ANALYSIS IN THE ENQUIRY INTO THE
  CONSIDERATION OF DEVIANTS AND THEIR
  REPRESENTATION BECAUSE OF ITS PERVASIVE, NON-
  SPECIALIST AND EVERYDAY NATURE. THE READING OF A
  NEWSPAPER IS AN ACCEPTED PART OF THE DAILY RITUAL
  OF MILLIONS.(YOUNG 1990)

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OTHERNESS

• OTHERNESS, LEADS TO OPPOSITIONAL
  CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM
• INSIDERS/OUTSIDERS
• US /THEM
• MAN/ WOMAN
• NORMAL/ DEVIANT
• SOCIETIES AND GROUPS EXCLUDE OTHERS THAT THEY
  WISH TO MAKE SUBORDINATE (WHICH EXPLAINS
  VICTIMISATION)
• SIMONE DE BEAUVOIR- MALE DOMINATED SOCIETY TREATS
  WOMEN AS OTHER
• THIS EFFECTS MEDIA PRESENTATION ALSO

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CONSTRUCTED DISCOURSES

• SYMBOLIC ANNIHILATION (TUCHMAN ET AL 1978)
• THAT IS -THE MEDIA HAVE IGNORED, TRIVIALISED OR
  CONDEMNED WOMEN
• THE MEDIA TRIES TO REHABILITATE WOMEN THROUGH THE
  DISCOURSES OF FEMININITY
• SOCIAL CONTROL DEPENDS ON LANGUAGE. DISCOURSES ON
  SEXUALITY, SANITY AND CRIMINALITY ARE OFTEN
  TRANSFORMED INTO A TECHNOLOGY OF POWER FORMULATED
  IN TERMS OF THE LAW (FOUCAULT 1978)

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THE MALE GAZE

• THE MEDIAS SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF FEMININITY
  (WYKES AND GUNTER 2004)- SLIM, YOUTHFUL, FEMININE
  ETC
• MEDIA SUBJECT FEMALE CRIMINALS APPEARANCE TO
  INTENSE SCRUTINY
• THE UGLY DUCKLING VS THE FEMME FATALE
• THOSE FEMALE OFFENDERS WHO DO NOT FIT THE
  GENDERED STEREOTYPES ARE DESCRIBED IN LOMBROSIAN
  TERMS
• EG ROSE WEST WAS DESCRIBED AS A TOAD TERRIFIED OF
  LOSING HER HUSBAND,
• WIGGINTON- FAT THIGHS AND HUGE BUTTOCKS
• CONVERSELY FEMALE OFFENDERS WHO ARE ATTRACTIVE
  ARE ACCUSED OF MANIPULATION EG TRACY ANDREWS WAS
  DESCRIBED AS HAVING LOOKS THAT COULD KILL

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TRACIE ANDREWS AND KARLA HOMOLKA
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ROSE WEST AND AILEEN WOURNOS
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USE OF NARRATIVESMAD BAD OR SAD

• CAMERON AND FRASER (1987) TWO STOCK STORIES
• LADY MACBETH (HINDLEY)
• PYGMALION (ROSE WEST, RUTH ELLIS)
• THE MAD (3RD STOCK STORY) PROVIDED BY FRIGON
  (1995)
• MEDIA CONSTRUCTS BIOLOGICAL INTERPRETATIONS OF
  FEMALE CRIMINALITY
• MENTAL FRAILTY PRE-MENSTRUAL SYNDROME
  POST-NATAL DEPRESSION BATTERED WOMAN SYNDROME
• MAYBE BENEFICIAL FOR SOME BUT HELPS CREATE
  STEREOTYPE OF WOMEN AS CRAZY OR HELPLESS. THE
  RESULT, TRIAL BY GENDER NORMS

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VIRGIN OR VAMP

• SEXUALITY OF FEMALE OFFENDERS IMPORTANT IN MEDIA
  DISCOURSE
• WHETHER SEXUALLY PROMISCUOUS OR SEXUALLY
  INEXPERIENCED?
• LESBIANS, PROSTITUTES AND THE PROMISCUOUS ARE
  OUTSIDERS IN A HETEROPATRIARCHAL SOCIETY.

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SEXUALITY

• LESBIANISM MEN HATERS WHICH LEAD THEM TO KILL
• THEY FALL BETWEEN MALENESS AND FEMALENESS
• EG AILEEN WOURNOS
• WIGGINGTON
• AT THE TIME (1987- ON MEETING HET LOVER DONNA)
  WIGGINGTON RODE A MOTORCYLE AND TOOK HER LOVER ON
  THE PILLION. SHE ALWAYS EXCEEDED THE SPEED LIMIT.
  BUT WHEN WIGGINGTON SLIPPED BEHIND THE WHEEL OF
  THE LOVING COUPLES COMMODORE CAR, HER CHARACTER
  CHANGED COMPLETELY- TO THAT OF THE HELPLESS
  FEMALE WHO ALWAYS DROVE CAUTIOUSLY AND NEVER
  EXCEEDED THE SPEED LIMIT (WEEKEND TRUTH 1991)
• ROSE WEST

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SEXUAL SADISTS

• WHEN WOMEN COMMIT SEXUAL CRIMES THEY ARE
  PORTRAYED AS SEXUAL SADISTS
• WHEN MEN COMMIT SEXUAL CRIMES IT IS MERELY AN
  EXTENSION OF MALE FANTASY (JEWKES 2004)
• SEE PORTRAYAL OF VALMAE BECK AND KARLA HOMOLKA (
  MORRISEY 2003)

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BAD WIVES

• THE MEDIA STILL JUDGE WOMEN BY PATRIARCHAL ,
  VICTORIAN VIEWS OF MOTHERHOOD AND WIFEDOM.
• MALE AND FEMALE PERPETRATORS OF PARTNER ABUSE
  PORTRAYED DIFFERENTLY
• WYKES (1994) JOHN TANNER AND RACHAEL MCLEAN 1991
  JOHN PARRY AND ARIMANDER PERRY 1991-
• THE MEDIA FOCUSED ON THE PROMISCUITY AND
  UNFAITHFULNESS OF THE VICTIMS
• CONVERSELY THE CASES OF PAMELA SAINSBUTRY AND
  LINDA CALVERY WHO KILLED THEIR PARTNERS WERE
  DESCRIBED AS OTHER OUTSIDE THE NORMAL RANGE OF
  FEMININITY AND THE BLACK WIDOW
• TO BE ANYTHING BUT SAINTLY INVOKES NEGATIVE MEDIA
  COVERAGE

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SARA THORNTON

• BECAUSE I DARED TO FIGHT I AM BEING IGNORED IF
  MALCOLM HAD KILLED ME THEY WOULD HAVE USED
  EVERYTHING THAT THEY ARE USING AGAINST ME NOW IN
  HIS DEFENCE. ID HAVE BEEN PORTRAYED AS A WOMAN
  WHO NAGGED HIM OVER HIS DRINKING, WHO DIDNT
  ALWAYS WEAR KNICKERS, WHO WENT OFF TO CONFERENCE
  AND LEFT HIM. (SARAH THORNTON, THE INDEPENDENT,
  1991)

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• WHATEVER DRIVES YOU TO DO THE OLD MAN IN, YOU
  MUST BE AS CLEAN AS A WHISTLE YOURSELF, WITH NOT
  A HINT OF MISPROPRIETY. YOU HAVE TO KEEP A TIDY
  HOUSE, SCRUB THE CHILDREN, AND IT HELPS IF YOU
  ARE STILL PROCLAIMING LOVE WHILST HOLDING THE
  BLOOD STAINED CARVING KNIFE. (HELENA KENNEDY,
  1992)

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MOTHERHOOD

• MOTHERS WHO KILL ARE FEARED
• FREUD
• SOCIETY IS NOT READY TO BELIEVE THAT WOMEN CAN
  HARM CHILDREN
• THE MEDIA USE THE IMAGE OF MOTHERHOOD EVEN IF
  THE OFFENDER HAS NO CHILDREN
• EG HINDLEY, BEVERLEY ALLITT
• WOMEN SHOULD NURTURE AND NOT HARM. BY AND LARGE
  THEY DO. EVEN TODAY VIOLENCE IS A MALE
  SPECIALITY. BUT NURSES ARE SUPPOSED TO BE THE
  EPITOME OF FEMALE CARE. THEY ARE THE ANGELS OF
  NEWSPAPER HEADLINES. WHEN WOMEN DO THINGS LIKE
  THIS IT SEEMS UNNATURAL, EVIL, A PERVERSION OF
  THEIR OWN BIOLOGY (DAILY EXPRESS 1993)

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CONSEQUENCES

• MEDIA REINFORCES AND CREATES STEREOTYPES
• MAY EFFECT THE PUNISHMENT OF FEMALE OFFENDERS
• BIOLOGICAL AND NATURALISTIC VIEWS PREVENT THE
  SEARCH FOR THE TRUTH