Female Delinquency

Soc 309-04

Female Delinquency

It has been well known by many that gender and race has an immense factor in the criminal behavior and treatment for adult offenders. Having that conclusion we can determine that the subject's sex and ethnic background are a factor for deviant behavior. While both race and gender playing a big factor in criminal behavior, it is a personal belief that gender has more of an effect on criminal behavior than race. There has been theory and statistics showing that female offenders have a small insignificant participation in crimes compared to male offenders.

These theories mostly agree that the sexual nature of females is more emotionally driven rather than male offenders. For example the Social Deviance Theory and Development Theories also known as the umbrella under which other theories used to explain juvenile delinquency fall, proves that most of female deviant behavior are emotionally driven. Social Deviance is acting against the norms of society. This includes the female nature of being more emotional inclined causing any insults or trauma, the individual's behavioral response in a deviant manner. When a female experiences trauma that individual may act out, this acting out for attention can easily become delinquent behavior.

There has been much interest towards the development into female offender studies, which have shown very different results than what was previously thought. Female rates, compared to male rates which are substantially higher, are growing more rapidly than male offender rates. According to the UCR in 2011 the percentage of female arrest was 25.9%, which 13.7% of arrests of females were of persons under the age of 18. Furthermore, the OJJDP states that the female delinquency caseload grew at an average rate of 3% per year between 1985 and 2009, while the average rate increase was 1% per year for male offenders. It is also important to note that while the above figures are official arrest statistics, self reported data shows female deviancy as being even higher, and includes similar crimes to males.

There are various reasons that can help explain the differences in genders and criminal behavior. It is no question that social environment and family ethics plays a part in the development of any youth. Male and female youths are raise very differently in our modern society which shows the difference in criminal behaviors between both genders. For example, males are socialized as masculine and aggressive which are less likely to form attachments causing them to respond to conflict much quicker. Whereas females are encouraged to preserve relationships, deescalate conflict, and are more closely supervised by their communities and families. We can say that this has a disadvantageous effect on a female, which can be established as a possible cause for outbursts of deviancy for female offenders.