Questioning the Confines of Criminology: Can Feminism Thrive Within the Discipline? (From Interrogating Social Justice, Politics, Culture and Identity, P 71-108, 1999, Marilyn Corsianos and Kelly Amanda Train, eds. -- See NCJ-182061)

• NCJ Number: 182063
• Author(s): Deborah Plechner
• Date Published: 1999
• Length: 38 pages
• Sale Source: Canadian Scholars Press
• Publication Format: Book (Softbound)
• Publication Type: Research (Theoretical)
• Language: English
• Country: Canada

Annotation

This analysis of feminist criminology focuses on its development from the 1960’s onward, the contours of feminism as a movement during the last century, and the impact of feminism on criminology.

Abstract

The analysis considers the writings of feminist criminologists Dorie Klein, Meda Chesney-Lind, Pat Carlen, James Messerschmidt, and Carol Smart. It notes that feminism is both a set of theories about women’s oppression and a set of strategies for social change. The discussion emphasizes three substantive issues that many feminist theorists and researchers have highlighted. These issues are the link between women’s victimization and offending behavior, the role of the government in controlling violence against women, and the dilemmas resulting from a liberal feminist strategy of social change. The analysis concludes that feminists must build bridges across disciplines, especially in jurisprudence and criminology, instead of operating specifically within one or another traditional area, if they ever hope to bring about meaningful change in the systems of law and justice. Notes and 79 references