Chapter 1 - Feminist Theory and Social Justice

Abstract

This chapter focuses on the relationship between feminist criminology, the societal viewpoint of crime, and the core ideals of social justice. Through a focus on the origin and evolution of feminist theory, this chapter discusses how viewing crime and criminal behavior from a feminist perspective has led to the current general versus gender-specific debate in criminology. Research on this debate has resulted in convoluted and controversial findings that argue a deeper understanding of the relationship between gender and crime may provide ways to better prevent, respond to, and address female criminality. This research is presented, discussed, and explicitly tied to the concepts of social justice, notably John Rawl’s justice as fairness model and David Miller’s principles of social justice. The utilization of these two concepts of social justice provides for a framework suggesting that without including components of feminist theory in studies of crime and criminology, social equality will remain elusive for female offenders throughout the system of criminal justice. This chapter concludes with recommendations proffered from literature in feminist studies and social justice that focus on the attainment of social justice for women within the realm of crime and criminality.