... bias has appeared. When discussing gender, it becomes apparent that women are discussed in reference to men, including offending rates, conviction rates and patterns and inequalities, rather than visa versa or women being discussed independently of men. Discussions into the chivalry hypothesis, the feminist critique and gender blindness have occurred for decades and attempt to establish and understand reasons why women offenders appear to receive preferential treatment and suggest ways to readdress this imbalance, which will be discussed in more depth later. The trends do not solely favour women however, examples of harsher treatment in the criminal justice system are also present, including the facts that more women are given immediate custodial sentences and that more women are held in prison on remand (Heidensohn 1985). The practices within the criminal justice system can also have an effect on the offender in society; the social stigma of a criminal conviction varies ...

See this essay or coursework document in full right now