Marxist Feminism: Implications for Criminal Justice

Abstract

Whether women encounter the criminal justice system as victims, offenders, or system personnel, they frequently find themselves being denigrated on the basis of their sex. We begin by analyzing the relationship between the sexist biases of criminal justice and other institutions and the capitalist economic system. After establishing that sexism is not mere prej udice against women but rather a function of capitalism, we move on to discuss the implications of Marxist feminism for six aspects of criminal justice: females and the law, criminology of women, females as victims, processing of females by the criminal justice system, incarceration of women, and employment of women as criminal justice system personnel. In the course of the discussion we present a number of recommendations which would further the goals of not only sexual but also economic equality.