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criminology
Chivalry Thesis
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Cards (16)
Otto Pollock
examined the
imbalance
between
male
and
female rates
of
offending post-World War II
Pollock
believed that
female crime
was
underrepresented
due to
paternalistic attitudes
of
men
, known as the
chivalry thesis
Police
were
less
likely to record
crimes
committed by
females
compared to
males
Judiciary
,
magistrates
, and
judges
were less likely to pass
harsh sentences
on
females
due to
societal norms
of
protecting women
Women
often had
charges dropped
,
received cautions
, or
community-based punishments
instead of
facing imprisonment
Crimes committed
by
women
were often seen as
errors
of
judgment
rather than
deliberate offenses
Social expectations
of women to be
good
and
moral
contributed to the
leniency
towards
female criminals
Crimes
typically
committed by women
such as
petty theft
,
shoplifting
, and
prostitution
were viewed as
victimless
Contemporary application
of the
chivalry thesis
seen in the case of
Lavinia Woodward
in
2017
Self-report studies
suggest
little difference
in
criminality rates
between
males
and
females
Males are charged with
four
out of every
five
crimes in the
UK
Males
are more likely to be
imprisoned
and have
higher rates
of
re-offending
compared to
females
Critics
suggest that the
judicial system discriminates
against
female criminals
Women
committing
acts considered part of the male domain face double deviance
Sentencing
of
women
often based on
gender roles
rather than the
crime
committed
Justice system
discriminates against
female victims
, particularly in cases of
rape
and
sexual assault