Gender Differences? (Due 5/31 at 7PM)
John states that he is knowledgeable about many things, including juvenile justice. He can't understand, however, the difference in delinquency rates between males and females.
John states that the delinquency rates should actually be the same because boys and girls are basically similar, other than physical differences, and also are raised the same way.
He also states that there are no gender differences in the way boys and girls are treated in in the juvenile justice system.
After reading chapter 6, what would you say to John about his views?
posted by ProfessorQuinnCCP @ 11:16 PM
9 Comments:
John is totally missing the fact that statistics show that girls are treated different than boys when it comes to delinquency.Female are seen as the weaker sex, therefore it carrys over into what society thinks girls are suppose to be. Some girls are being punished because of the "Good girl Theory" if you dont act accordindly you are behavior is consider antisocial. The Courts are more concerned with how female acts than whether she is victimized.Boys are always taught how nice girls act. Boys are thought be be more aggressive and domiant than girls. Most of the time their punishment is not based on being a male. It is mostly based on race and social statis. Scholars say that men are born with a delinquency at born,therefore they are treated differently.The Judicial Courts have took on the same thinking and have dealt with female delinquents according to that stigma.
It is a misconception about the punishments each gender should recieve. John is failing to realize that women will never recieve the same treatment as men as long as they are women. Young men are more prone to commit a crime than women. It is a daily contrast based on the maturity of each gender. Because young boys mature slower than girls, it seems normal and not a surprise to society for them to commit delinquent crimes. (part 1)
While reading chapter six I realized that females are treated differently than males in the juvenile justice system. Females are viewed in the court as being in a unhappy family life, malfunctions with men, and the lifestyle that a female lives resluts in delinquency. In the court a female is then victimized. males tend to act out aggression rather than females do because females are more passive aggressive. The judge also is more likely to send a female to a detention center rather than a male. Females in the court are also more prone to be considered status offenders. John's views dealing with the differences between genders I would have to agree with because there is a difference when it comes to juvenile court.
I'm sorry John, I disagree with your statement that delinquency rates should be actually the same because boys and girls are basically similar, other than physical differences, and also are raised the same way. Girls and boys are not raised the same. As a child our parents and society itself enforce gender roles. Toys have a significant meaning to children. As children going to the toy store girls play with dolls and cooking toys, and boys play with action figures, cars, and fighting toys. It is accepable for girls to cry, but if a boy was to cry they are told to toughen up and be a man. Society has more sympathy for girls than they do for boys. Boys are taught to stand up, be tough, and caiter to the ladies. If a boy was to change out of a man's gender role he is percieved as less of a man.
In the criminal justice system, boys and girls are also treated differently. Girls are more likely to be treated more differently than boys. Girls are more likely to get arrested in sex affiliated crimes and running away than boys, and they are more like likely to be placed in detention centers more often than prison.
After reading chapter six I found that there is a difference in gender and delinquency. It states that there is many differences in Socialization, Cognitive, and personality when it comes to boys and girls. For an example since girls are more verbally proficient this skill helps them deal with conflict without resorting to violence.Whereas boys may resort to violence to gain status. When talking about the juvenile justice system boys and girls are still looked upon as different,for instance, with run away girls on the street the police may pick them up much faster than a boy because the may feel that she is not establising "lady like" behavior. With these two examples I would have to disagree with john and his views.
(Part 2) The differences between men and women through delinquent actions could also be based upon what they are exposed to during their life. Females are more exposed to the feminine issues in society. They are taught how to mature into young women. They are also taught to have a sweet, passive, and gentle side. Contrasting to the males, they are taught the opposite. Depending on who they idolized during the time of adolescence; most males were taught how to mature into men. They are taught the masculine and genuine way to handle situations. Certain rules like "look a person in the eyes, they respect you better", and "open doors for women". The rules continue and also change, especially when there is a difference between street and house rules. Evidently, the number one street rule is: "No matter what the circumstance is, dont snitch." In the judicial system, all of these values are taken into consideration. Depending on the gender of the offender, the courts make decisions on where to send the delinquent. Despite the fact, that those kind of issues should not always be the grounds for punishment. From my perspective, the sentence of the offender should not be based on gender. It should be based on the severity of the crime. If each gender is bold enough to commit the crime, it should not matter where they are sentenced or what the sentence is.
John seems to only see things in black and white. In other words if it's not black then it has to be white and vice versa. There is no in between in his view, if the male delinquent rate is let's say 90% then the female delinquent rate should be the same according to him. What John needs to understand is that boys and girls are different because they are raised differently, and these differences carry over into the way they behave. For example: Boys are more aggressive (a factor in becoming delinquent) because it's taught them that they need to be aggressive to be look upon as boys/men. However, females are taught that it's not lady like to be so aggressive. They are taught this by their teachers, parents, neighbors and sometimes even their friends. Those same social bonds that teaches girls how to behave and are suppose to help keep them from becoming delinquent are those same social bonds, that in some cases, causes boys to be aggressive. As far as the different treatment of boys and girls in the Juve. Just. system, I was inclined to agree with John until I read a little bit more into Chapter 6, which basically says that females have it much harder than males on many levels once they are in the system. For instance, they are more likely to be arrested for crimes that would other wise be ignored if a male were to commit the same crime. Females are also more likely to be sent to a detention center and remain there 3 times longer than males and they are less likey to receive the same level benefits and/or services than males delinquents.
Jhon is wrong when he said that there is no differences between boys and girls. The text said that there are gender differences: Females " read better, speak earlier, have lower self- esteem, have better attention span. On the other hand, boys are" independent, agressive and the externalize anger. Also, there are better math, have higher self- esteem, have lower attention span. In addition, boys and girls are not raised the same way. for instance, males learn to value independence, whereas females are taught that their self-worth depends on their ability to sustain relationships with others, whereas therefore, run the risk of losing themselves in their relationships with others, whereas boys may experience a chronic sence of alienation. Also, boys and girls are treated different way in the juvenile justice system. The early juvenile court viewed female delinquency as sexual in nature and believed that great majority of female delinquents' troubles could be linked to their being sexually prococious. Girls were also more likely to be sent to a dentention facility before trial, and the length of their attention averaged three times of boys. Girls are far more likely than boys to picked up by police for status offenses and are more likely to be kept in dentention for such offenses.
John’s views are seemingly influenced by the masculinity hypothesis. His argument is characterized by the view that females and males have similar psychological and biological traits that influences deliquency.
I would advise John to understand that while the similarities may actually exist; there are significant biological, social and psychological differences between male and female delinquents.
To begin with, males and females socialize differently. Males are more aggressive and individualistic. They tend to be stereotyped by the belief that they have to be strong as any sign of weakness is perceived by others as a lack of will. On the contrary, females are more likely to be reserved, less aggressive, and nurturing. Like males, female delinquents also have strong influences from their peers, but the degree of delinquent behavior varies between males and females, with the former having a higher propensity to be delinquents.
Females are also more self-aware than their male counterparts. Research after research has shown that females are more likely to have low self esteem and less likely to revenge even in situations that might involve confrontation. On the other hand, males are egoistic and self perpetuating, and more likely to be retributive.
Research into gender differences in how peer pressure is exercised and experienced has been extended to delinquency. I will advise John that In theory, the more susceptible the adolescent and the stronger the nonconforming attitudes of the peer group, the more likely the adolescent will be deviant. Males are more likely to feel that their friends are pressuring them, and early-maturing females are more susceptible to peer pressure from males and older peers than are on-time or late-maturing female. In support of the theory, both males and early-maturing girls are more likely to be delinquent (Canter, 1982; Phelps & McClintock, 1994).
Females conform to their peers more than do males, but there is greater social disapproval for female delinquency. Even in mixed-gender peer groups, females conform more to female, rather than male, expectations. It appears that it is more important for the female delinquent to have the approval of other females than males.
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