INTRODUCTION

Despite considerable progress made in the past few decades, women in the Western world still suffer discrimination and are not treated equally to men. Consider how much more true this is in the developing world, where the gap between the treatment of men and women is a yawning chasm. These facts illuminate any consideration of women’s criminality, the particular nature of their criminal victimization, and their treatment by the criminal justice system. In addition, women’s unequal status has repercussions for their employment in the criminal justice system as police officers, prosecution or prison staff, and court judges and magistrates. It even helps to explain the nature of their involvement in transnational and international crimes, whether as offenders or victims. These are the topics explored within this chapter.

WOMEN AS OFFENDERS

Surveys and police records of crime in Western nations show that women still constitute a small minority of offenders, but they are becoming increasingly involved in crime. Women are mostly involved in common crimes – minor thefts and frauds, low-level drug dealing, prostitution, and misdemeanor assaults against their mates or children – and are far less likely than men to be involved in serious crime.