Feminist View on Discrimination in the US Criminal Justice System



Feminist View on Discrimination in the US Criminal Justice System

Gender discrimination has been a part of every culture and society. Even though, the societies have enhanced and keeping in mind the changes that have taken place in the trends and the cultures, this discrimination is still a major issue for the people of the different societies (Harr et al, 2011). Many people say that this discrimination exists only in conservative societies such as the Asian cultures and societies; however, this is not true. Even in cultures where the people change according to times and accept things as they are, this discrimination is a major issue. Males are preferred over females and are not given proper rights (Britton, 2000). This should not be the case. This paper will discuss the issue of discrimination in the US criminal justice system.

The United States criminal justice system, an externally fair organization of justice and integrity, is an ideal example of a seemingly equal situations, which turns out to be anything but for women (OShea, 2013). This notion of oppression and inequality results in creating an even bigger issue regarding the way the criminal justice system controls the women through public and private spheres. Even though, the movement of the feminists brought several positive changes to the criminal system of the United States, the prisons for women are still under the burden of policies and programs that endorse and reiterate women roles as domesticated goddesses (Bershad, 2005). There are major gender differences in men's and women's experiences of the prison and access to activities and services demonstrate the obvious discrimination against the women in the criminal justice system in United States.

Two major theories can be applied to this phenomenon, the Anomie theory and the Strain ...