CONSIDERATIONS ON FEMALE PARTICIPATION IN THE COMBINED CRIME INCIDENCE PICTURE IN PANAMA (FROM CRIMINOLOGY - FIRST NATIONAL SEMINAR, P 72-79, 1976, SEE NCJ-68204)

• NCJ Number: 68207
• Author(s): R RIVERA DOMINQUEZ
• Date Published: 1976
• Length: 8 pages
• Publication Format: Document
• Language: Spanish
• Country: Panama

Annotation

FEMALE DELINQUENCY FIGURES STUDIED OVER A 5-YEAR PERIOD (1968 TO 1972) IN PANAMA REVEALED THE PERCENTAGE OF CRIMES COMMITTED BY WOMEN IN THE GENERAL CRIME PICTURE AS EXTREMELY LOW AND THE OFFENSES AS MINOR.

Abstract

BASED ON FIGURES SUPPLIED BY THE PANAMANIAN CENSUS OFFICE, THE STUDY ANALYZED THE INCIDENCE AND PATTERNS OF FEMALE DELINQUENCY IN PANAMA WITH A VIEW TO PLACING WOMEN OFFENDERS IN THE GENERAL CONTEXT OF CRIMINALITY IN PANAMA. THE PSYCHODYNAMICS OF FEMALE CRIMINALITY HAVE GENERALLY BEEN TRACED TO CHARACTER WEAKNESSES, EMOTIONAL DEPENDENCE, LACK OF SOCIAL CONSCIOUSNESS, FAULTY AND SUBJECTIVE IDEAS OF JUSTICE, ETC. POLICE AND COURTS HAVE TRADITIONALLY DEALT MORE LENIENTLY WITH WOMEN OFFENDERS, AND THE PERCENTAGE OF FEMALE DEFENDANTS ACQUITTED HAS ALWAYS BEEN MUCH HIGHER THAN THAT FOR MALE DEFENDANTS UNDER SIMILAR CIRCUMSTANCES. ONE OF THE OFFENSES FOR WHICH WOMEN USED TO BE MORE FREQUENTLY ARRESTED WAS PROSTITUTION: PROSTITUTES SHOULD BE CONSIDERED AS SOCIALLY HANDICAPPED INDIVIDUALS, THE FEMALE EQUIVALENTS OF VAGRANTS AND BEGGARS, TO BE TREATED RATHER THAN PUNISHED. FIGURES ON FEMALE OFFENDERS, BOTH ADULT AND UNDER 18, ARE EXTREMELY LOW, AND RECIDIVISM IS ALSO CORRESPONDINGLY LOW. THE MOST FREQUENTLY COMMITTED OFFENSES (EXCEPT FOR TRAFFIC INFRACTIONS) ARE CRIMES AGAINST PERSONS. THE NUMBER OF FEMALE INMATES IN PANAMANIAN CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTIONS IS MEASURABLY INCREASED BY FOREIGN INMATES (FEMALES CONVICTED OF DRUG-RELATED OFFENSES IN PANAMA). TABULAR DATA AND COMPARATIVE STATISTICS FOR MALE AND FEMALE OFFENDERS ARE PROVIDED IN THE TEXT. --IN SPANISH.