The Gender of Crime

Reviews / Votes

The Gender of Crime is theoretically sophisticated, examining the topics of import for teaching students to think critically about the relationships of gender, race/ethnicity, sexuality, class, and inequality with crime and justice. In addition to its thorough research coverage, the authors use concrete examples to make key concepts readily understandable. -- Jody Miller, author of <i>Getting Played: African American Girls, Urban Inequality, and Gendered Violence</i> In this carefully crafted, meticulously researched, and thoughtfully argued book, the authors turn a gender lens on criminology, offering clear and nuanced explanations and examples of how gender (as well as race, class, and sexuality) shape the commission of crime and our responses to it. The authors also expose the biases within criminology that, to date, have prevented us from recognizing the influence of masculinity or the criminal acts of the government and corporations. This book soundly debunks persistent and damaging myths about crime, such as the idea that rape is a rare event committed mainly by strangers and the belief that women and men participate equally in intimate partner violence. The authors' lucid and even-handed explanations make this an excellent resource for anyone interested in the study of crime. -- Jeanne Flavin, Fordham University; author of Our Bodies, Our Crimes: The Policing of Women's Reproduction in America This treasure-trove of evidence and insights about gender and crime in the United States offers a disturbing picture of the dynamics of criminalization, crime victimization, and the kinds of people (and entities) that are prosecuted (or not) for committing crimes. The authors expose as false many widely accepted myths about gender and crime and continually remind us that race/ethnicity, social class, and sexual orientation as well as gender are implicated in crime commission and society's responses to it. This profoundly sociological book urges readers to focus on social contexts when seeking to understand how crime is 'constructed' by society (legislatures, the courts). A comprehensive, insightful, well-documented analysis, this book is an invaluable resource that will both inform and prompt debates in coming years. -- Patricia Yancey Martin, Daisy Parker Flory Professor of Sociology Emerita, Florida State University Gender is one of the most powerful predictors of criminal participation and criminal victimization, yet it remains woefully undertheorized in criminology. The Gender of Crime offers an important corrective to this omission. The authors make a compelling case that gender is not only central to our ability to understand crime and punishment, but also to our capacity to ensure the broader democratic guarantee of justice for all. -- Jill McCorkel, Villanova University The robust fact that gender (particularly masculinity) is a leading correlate of crime is confronted by Britton, Jacobsen, and Howard in a way that is accessible, compelling, and insightful. Weaving a tapestry from existing research, the authors explore important social patterns of crime offending, victimization, and the social institutions that reproduce gender inequalities. Readers will not forget the immutable lessons found within this book. -- Kimberly J. Cook, University of North Carolina Wilmington