This course focuses on the experiences of men and women in the criminal justice system. It will cover the history of criminological theory on gender, application of mainstream criminological theory to gender, and differences for men and women as offenders, victims, and professionals in the criminal justice system. This includes exploring the role of gender in offending, victimization, and criminal justice processing. This course also evaluates the influence of gender on working in criminal justice professions. Criminological and victimological theories are assessed in light of gender and the relationship between gender and criminal justice.

Students completing this course will be able to: 

• Describe the relationships between gender (including the social construction of masculinity and femininity) and crime and justice
• Describe the gender differences in offending and victimization for women and men
• Summarize possible theoretical explanations for gender differences in offending and victimization
• Describe the interplay of trauma and gender for victims and offenders and the implications for policing, court interactions, incarceration and reentry
• Describe gender differences in arrests, prosecution and punishment and differential impact of the criminal justice system by gender
• Describe the ways in which gender influences those who work within the criminal justice system (profiling)