Women, Crime and Criminal Justice

Should women be treated in the same way as men in the criminal justice system? What is the case for treating women differently from men? In this seminar I will challenge some of the myths, muddles and misconceptions which have shadowed ideas about female offenders and their treatment. I will also examine whether or not there is a case for dealing with women differently from men in sentencing and criminal justice. Have women been treated more harshly or more leniently than men? Is there a special case for suggesting that women deserve a distinctive sort of treatment compared to men? Does this mean sentencing women differently? And in this context does "equality = difference"?