Josefina Figueira-McDonough

Gender Differences in Informal Processing: A Look at Charge Bargaining and Sentence Reduction in Washington, D.C.:

Because the most important court decisions are not regulated by due process, any study concerned with discrimination should examine those informal processes. This study focuses on the processes of charge bargaining and sentence reduction. We identify criteria associated with these decisions and examine the differences in outcomes by gender of the defendant. It is found that dimensions of defense are the most important in determining a plea outcome favorable to the defendant, and that males fare better than females in this process. This suggests that policies stressing equalization of defense resources might be crucial in the regulation of plea bargaining.

Environment and Interpretation Voices of Young People in Poor Inner-City Neighborhoods

This paper explores the interpretation of experiences and worldviews of young people residing in extremely deprived inner-city neighborhoods. Focus group discussions are examined in order to understand how young people residing in these poor urban neighborhoods interpret their environment and how trouble, sexual behavior, education, and the future are shaped by their experiences. Propositions derived from cultural and structural theories guide the analysis. The findings do not fully support either explanation, suggesting an alternative approach that combines mainstream and ghetto specific norms. The relevance of the findings for interventions addressing youth problems in deprived settings is discussed.

Attachments, gender, and delinquency

The purpose of this study is to contribute to a gender‐integrated theory of delinquent behavior by testing the assumptions of gender specialized delinquent behavior and of sex typed bonds as inhibitors of deviance. Data from self‐administered questionnaires completed by a sample of teenagers in the 10th grade and one year later were used in the study. We found no clear evidence of gender specialization in the deviant behavior reported by the youth. Furthermore, the analysis did not lend support to traditional theories that link male and female delinquency to the weakening of different bonds. The testing of an inclusive model of bond theories produced very similar results for both genders.

Gender, Race, and Class: Differences in Levels of Feminist Orientation

This article focuses on the differences in feminist orientation occurring by gender, race, and class. The author derives 11 propositions from a review of the literature and tests them at four different levels of feminist reference: public, family, interpersonal, and self. Examining a sample of 1,735 boys and girls born after the onset of the womens movement, the author interprets the findings as degrees of responsiveness to an order that is equalitarian with regard to gender and links these findings to one or more of the strata considered. The article concludes with a discussion of the implications of these findings for various feminist strategies.

Men and women as interest groups in the abortion debate in the United States

Abstract The abortion issue is defined here as a gender conflict of rights, and the research question is formulated within an interest group framework. Using data from a U.S. national opinion survey the merits of the formulation that opinions on abortion should reflect conflicting gender interests are explored. Although no gender polarization on abortion opinions is found, values regarding gender equality for women and conservatism for men reflect the impact of self-interest. The most powerful predictors of opposition to abortion are different for American women and men: high religiosity (for women) and low education (for men). The implications of these findings for a gender-equalitarian future are discussed. While support for a solution based on increased education is noncontroversial, sacrificing religiosity to gender equality is a more problematic proposition.

Courts' Domain and Juvenile Justice Goals:

It is argued that organizational variables play an important role in the adoption of due process and in service delivery within courts with juvenile jurisdiction. A total of 195 courts with juvenile jurisdiction across the nation were first classified in terms of organizational contextual characteristics and then compared as to the degree of due process commitment at adjudication and service capability. It was found that courts with exclusive juvenile jurisdiction followed to a greater extent due process criteria than did courts with limited and general jurisdiction. Furthermore, the smaller the population served by the courts, the lesser were problems with respect to service delivery. Juvenile courts did not share a distinctive structure, but courts with smaller jurisdictions tended to be organized according to a human relations model. It was concluded that in order to maximize the dual goal of the juvenile justice system, justice, and service, small courts with exclusive jurisdiction will be the most fu...