Book Review: Encyclopedia of Women and Crime
| Published date | 01 December 2001 |
| Author | Caroline Bald |
| Date | 01 December 2001 |
| DOI | 10.1177/026455050104800424 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
1
Encyclopedia of Women and Crime
Nicole Hahn Rafter (ed)
Oryx Press, 2000; pp367; $65.00, hbk
ISBN 1-57356-214-9
This hardback textbook purports to be the
first encyclopaedia of its kind in the genre
of women and crime. It certainly is
impressive in the seamless ease with
which it considers all areas of how women
relate to crime. The 240 alphabetically
arranged entries were gathered from over
200 contributors, all considered experts in
their field; much of their research has had
a direct impact on my practice and the
Probation Service’s practice development.
Renowned researchers, including such
familiar names as the Dobashes, Eaton,
Gelsthorpe, Heidensohn, Rock and
Stanko, have contributed alongside other
academics from the United States,
Canada, Britain and Australia. The result
is an international flavour and a
consideration of the impact of differing
culture and legislation on reactions and
interventions that relate to women and
crime. It should, however, be noted that
the majority of contributors reflect on the
United States experience and it somehow
feels that the opportunity to present a truly
international perspective has been lost.
The Encyclopaedia was developed
around four subject themes:
(a) Crime. Women as offenders, typical
offences and theories about women who
offend. This theme includes entries on
prostitution and infanticide, to name two.
(b) Victims and Victimology. The focus of
this theme is to consider, amongst other
areas, the fear of crime and theories of
victimisation.
(c) Policing, Courts and Case Processing,
insofar as these relate to gender and
criminal justice. This theme considers
women as service-providers, e.g. the
history of women in policing, as well as
women as service-users, e.g. the police
response to domestic violence. Entries
also consider specific criminal justice
‘processing’issues such as racism in rape
case outcomes and theoretical issues such
as the ‘chivalry’explanation for court
outcomes.
(d) Punishment and Treatment. Entries in
this theme consider the impact on women
of breaking the law and of the gender-bias
in sentencing. This theme considers
prisons, well known prisoners and such
problems as drug misuse and HIV and
AIDS that are of high prevalence in penal
institutions. There is also discussion of
various developments in practice that aim
to engage and rehabilitate women
offenders.
All four themes blend into the
Encyclopaedia through a useful Topic
Finder at the beginning of the book. Each
entry varies in length and depth of
discussion with some being a matter of a
few paragraphs long while others cover
one to two pages. The nature of the book
is such that each entry is offered as a
summary of research and thinking,
concluding with suggestions of further
reading. The suggested readings are all
relatively recent publications and are
listed at the end of the book.
I found this book to be accessible and
thorough. There seems to be an entry for
all areas of criminality that relate to
women. I have so far used it as a bedtime
reader for occasional dipping, which has
broadened my knowledge of different
Overmatter
Book Reviews-p301-309 22/11/01 9:17 am Page 10
To continue reading
Request your trial