Kathryn Ann Farr

Classification for Female Inmates: Moving Forward

Most state and federal prisons use a single risk-focused classification system to assign female and male inmates to an appropriate security level. Evidence indicates that women pose very little risk to institutional or community security, and that many factors that predict risk in men are invalid predictors of risk in women. Current systems have led to excessive use of overrides in the classification of female inmates. Findings regarding the needs of female offenders for adjustment to prison and for reintegration into the community are clear and consistent. It is recommended that a greater focus be placed on needs-based classification for incarcerated women.

Defeminizing and Dehumanizing Female Murderers

Abstract Case studies of the 35 women on death row in 1993 suggest that hetero-feminine image is important in engendering chivalry and thus leniency toward female offenders. Lesbians in particular were over-represented in atypical death sentence cases. Featured are media and prosecutorial representations of the cases of five lesbians on death row. These offenders were depicted as manly and man-hating women who occupy additional marginalized statuses, and who vent their rage and irrational desire for revenge through killing. Argued is that this homo-sexualized portrayal of female evil may affect sentencing decisions as an additional “aggravating circumstance” in an already heinous crime.

Dominance bonding through the good old boys sociability group

Informed and illustrated by observational and interview data on two sample groups, a model of one particular form of male social groups was elaborated. Because of the characteristics of its members and its operating principle, the ideal type was labeled the Good Old Boys Sociability (GOBS) group. Members of GOBS groups share successful class and gender histories, and plan and engage in events that reflect dimensions of masculine play learned in boyhood. The GOBS group was found to perpetuate masculine identity and male privilege through dominance bonding, i.e., a process of collective alliance in which members affirm and reaffirm their superiority.

Aggravating and Differentiating Factors in the Cases of White and Minority Women on Death Row

An examination of the cases of 35 women on death row in 1993 indicated both between-and within-gender differences. Unlike men under sentences of death, the White women on death row were highly likely to have murdered loved ones, most often male husbands or lovers. The most aggravated cases involved White women, portrayed as seductive or lustful, who were implicated in multiple killings of White victims. Overall, the murders committed by women of color were more likely than those by White women to be in the less aggravated categories and to have been motivated by anger or revenge. Most of the murders were intraracial.

Fetal Abuse and the Criminalization of Behavior During Pregnancy

During the 1980s, concern about fetal harm resulting from a pregnant womans use of illegal drugs escalated, and prosecutions of pregnant drug users for harm against the fetus, or fetal abuse, were undertaken in several states. Due to constitutional and statutory problems, as well as concerns about fairness and effectiveness, efforts to criminalize fetal abuse have typically failed to withstand judicial scrutiny. Evidence suggests that criminal prosecution for fetal abuse relies on questionable procedures, is unevenly applied, and may keep women from seeking drug treatment or prenatal care.

Observations on the Development of Crime Categories

From the 1850s to the present, considerable criminological attention has focused on the development of theoretically-significant systems for classifying crime. This article reviews and attempts to evaluate a number of these efforts, and we conclude that further work on this basic task is needed. The latter part of the article explicates a conceptualfoundation for a crime pattern classification system, and offers a preliminary taxonomy of crime.

Shaping Policy Through Litigation: Abortion Law in the United States

The criminalization of abortion in the United States began in the early 1800s and was nearly universal by the late 1800s. It was not until the middle of the 1900s that abortion reform gained momentum, culminating in 1973 in the Roe v. Wade decision that protected womens right to abortion. In this article it is argued that since Roe, litigation has been increasingly used to shape abortion policy. The rise of such litigation, as well as the kinds of issues and concerns raised by litigants, are described. The role played by the Supreme Court in changing the legal status of abortion is examined.