Women in Criminal Justice

Paper Summary:

This paper examines how women working as professionals in the criminal justice field have gained some respect in recent years; however, the fact largely remains that criminal justice is a very male-dominated field, and women still struggle to acquire equal standing and respect accordingly. It looks at how the percentage of women working in the legal field as judges, lawyers, and similar professionals has increased significantly in recent years and how, despite these increases, women entering the criminal field still face a male-dominated culture and organizational structure, which have limited many opportunities for women to advance in this area.

From the Paper:

"Discrimination and gender bias may be even more evident within the courts and judicial system. In recent years, forty states and nine federal circuits appointed task forces that investigated gender bias in their jurisdictions. They found that "female lawyers in court may be called honey, little lady, little girl or are referred to by their first names instead of a professional salutation." (DOJ, 2003, ABA). The American Bar also published a Report on the Status of Women in the Legal Profession, which indicated that when a female attorney is more aggressive during litigation or other proceedings, a judge is more likely to interpret her behavior as "unnecessary drama" as opposed to being an effective lawyer, as aggression is typically more often appreciated in male lawyers (DOJ, 2003, ABA)."

More papers on Women in Criminal Justice:

• Analytical Essay # 29587 : "Women and Criminal Justice"
• Essay # 6260 : "Women In The Criminal Justice Profession"
• Essay # 90872 : "Minority Issues in Criminal Justice"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: