Gender, Crime and Justice

Revision – key things from last session typically masculine practices lead to criminal acts Scraton 'Hillsborough: The Truth' Walklate suggests that "Foregrounding men as the 'problem' in relation to the question of crime became an increasingly important part of the criminological equation during the 1990s" (2001: 53) Sutherland's learned behaviour theory useful to explore whether boys are socialized into becoming "tough, aggressive, active, risk seekers“ Not just lower class activity Talcott's functionalist theory useful to relate social learning to sex-role theory and the 'breadwinning' role expected of men Schools and universities are important places for 'doing' masculinity (example school shootings)

Hegemonic Masculinity In 2006, 80% of known offenders were men.   34% of men have a conviction by the age of 40. Men made up 92% of the total prison population in 2006. (Ministry of Justice, Section 95, 2006)

Focusing on men Naffine (1997) ‘Feminism & Criminology’ Tony Jefferson, in the Oxford Handbook of Criminology Crime is one of the cultures in which young men acquire the mantle of manhood. (Bea Campbell, 1993:211) 1st special issue on masculinity of the British Journal of Criminology (1996)

History Prior to the nineteenth century only wealthy, property owning men could vote Black men (and women) were held as slaves in the USA until 1863 Male homosexual acts between adults were criminalised until 1967  BUT Maleness is invisible – we only tend to notice gender if we talk about women Crime is a way of ‘doing masculinity’ – a way for some men to ‘prove’ they are men Not all men are the same – there are different types of masculinity

Identity 1950s - Talcott Parsons Men make masculinity according to the social situation in which they find themselves. (Messerschmidt,1993: 82) Bob Connell, 1995 Hegemonic masculinity - ‘the idealized form of masculinity’ (Messerschmidt, 1993: 82) Complicit masculinity – here men benefit from hegemonic masculinity without practicing the full hegemonic package. Marginalised masculinity – this may be class and/or race specific and deemed inferior. Hazel Croall, Crime and Society in Britain

The role of hegemonic masculinity within the CJS Sandra Walklate, Gender & Crime – An Introduction Hegemonic masculinity comprises a set of cultural expectations emphasising toughness and power Some men use intellectual resources to gain power, others use physical force White, middle class men dominate the higher ranks of the CJS

Men in Prison Ryan and Sim (in Ruggiero, Ryan and Sim, 1995: 119): Once inside, prisoners are … placed in regimes which will emphisize authority rather than rehabilitation, security rather than justice and privileges rather than rights. ‘Violence Research Programme’ - Kimmett Edgar and Carol Martin 209 prisoners interviewed - 141 incidents - 57 fights; 34 assaults, 47 situations that did not result in injury. Prison regimes... generate competition for scarce resources; require inmates to interact with others whose behaviour they cannot predict; deprive people of privacy.

Working with violence Geese Theatre company http://www.geese.co.uk/HTML/index.html Alternatives to Violence Project http://www.avpbritain.org.uk

Changes in the prison population in recent years has resulted in more violent men in prison than ever before Increased security leads to more disorder Increased assaults and increased suicides Some programmes help but sometimes prison guards re-enforce the culture of masculinity The Governor of Brinsford Young Offenders' Institution: “When you get 500 young men in a school or an army barracks or a prison you get bullying. It's the human condition.”