Unpublished counts of larceny arrests and census data for five of the largest cities in the United States are used to examine the contribution of white and nonwhite men and women in specific age groups to increases in larceny arrests from 1960 to 1980. The results suggest that nonwhite women and white men now have similar larceny arrest rates and that 77 percent of the total increase in the arrest of women for larceny from 1960 to 1980 was the result of increased arrests of nonwhite women. Although 18 percent of this increase can be explained by increased numbers of nonwhite women in specific age groups in the population, the worsening economic situation of young black women in older U.S. central cities is suggested as the most plausible explanation for these trends. Implications of the findings for other theories of women's criminality are examined.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Adler, Freda
. 1975. Sisters in Crime. New York: McGraw-Hill.
2.
Ageton, Suzanne S.1983. “The Dynamics of Female Delinquency, 1976-1980.”Criminology21:555-584.
3.
Austin, Roy L.1982. “Women's Liberation and Increases in Minor, Major, and Occupational Offenses.”Criminology20:407-430.
4.
Cohen, Albert K.
1955. Delinquent Boys: The Culture of the Gang. Glencoe, IL: Free Press.
5.
Cowie, John
, Valerie Cowie, and Eliot Slater. 1986. Delinquency in Girls. London: Heineman.
6.
Datesman, Susan K.
, and Frank R. Scarpitti. 1980. Women, Crime, and Justice. New York: Oxford.
7.
Deming, Richard
. 1977. Women: The New Criminals. Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
8.
Engram, Eleanor
. 1980. “Role Transition in Early Adulthood: Orientations of Young Black Women.” Pp. 175-187 in The Black Woman, edited by La Frances Rodgers-Rose. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
9.
Eve, Raymond A.
, and Kreelene R. Edmonds. 1978. “Women's Liberation and Female Criminality: Or Sister, Will You Give Me Back My Dime?” Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Society for the Scientific Study of Social Problems, San Francisco, CA.
10.
Faine, John R.
, and Edward Bohlander, Jr. 1976. “Sentencing the Female Offender: The Impact of Legal and Extra-Legal Considerations.” Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Criminology, Tucson.
11.
Gillin, John L.
1926. Criminology and Penology. New York: Century.
12.
Glick, Ruth M.
, and Virginia V. Neto. 1977. National Study of Women's Correctional Programs. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
13.
Gold, Martin
, and David J. Reimer. 1975. “Changing Patterns of Delinquent Behavior Among Americans 13 Through 16 Years Old: 1967-1972.”Crime and Delinquency Literature7:483-517.
14.
Hemmons, Willa Mae
. 1980. “The Women's Liberation Movement: Understanding Black Women's Attitudes.” Pp. 285-299 in The Black Woman, edited by La Frances Rodgers-Rose. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
15.
Hershey, Marjorie R.1978. “Racial Differences in Sex-Role Identities and Sex Stereotyping: Evidence Against a Common Assumption.”Social Science Quarterly58:583-596.
16.
Hill, Gary D.
, and Anthony R. Harris. 1981. “Changes in the Gender Patterning of Crime, 1953-77: Opportunity Vs. Identity.”Social Science Quarterly62:658-671.
17.
Hindelang, Michael J.1979. “Sex Differences in Criminal Activity.”Social Problems27:143-156.
18.
Hindelang, Michael J.1981. “Variations in Sex-Race-Age Specific Incidence Rates of Offending.”American Sociological Review46:461-474.
19.
Hirschi, Travis
. 1969. Causes of Delinquency. Berkeley: University of California Press.
20.
Hirschi, Travis
and Michael Gottfredson. 1983. “Age and the Explanation of Crime.”American Journal of Sociology89:552-584.
21.
Leventhal, Gloria
. 1977. “Female Criminality: Is `Women's Lib' to Blame?”Psychological Reports41:1179-1182.
22.
Lewis, Diane K.
1981. “Black Women Offenders and Criminal Justice.” Pp.89-105 in Comparing Female and Male Offenders, edited by Marguerite Q. Warren. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
23.
Lombroso, Cesare
, and William Ferrero. 1958. The Female Offender. New York: Philosophical Library. (first published 1895)
24.
Lombroso-Ferrero, Gina
. 1911. Criminal Man According to the Classification of Cesare Lombroso. New York: Putnam's.
25.
Miller, Eleanor M.
1986. Street Woman. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.
26.
Moulds, Elizabeth F.
1980. “Chivalry and Paternalism: Disparties of Treatment in the Criminal Justice System.” Pp. 227-299 in Women, Crime, and Justice, edited by Susan K. Datesman and Frank R. Scarpitti. New York: Oxford.
27.
Nagel, Stuart
, and Lenore J. Weitzman. 1972. “Double Standard of American Justice.”Society9:18-25, 62-63.
28.
Noblit, George W.
, and Janie M. Burcart. 1976. “Women and Crime: 1960-1970.”Social Science Quarterly56:650-657.
29.
Norland, Stephen
, and Neal Shover. 1977. “Gender Roles and Female Criminality: Some Critical Comments.”Criminology15:87-104.
30.
Pearce, Diana M.1983. “The Feminization of Ghetto Poverty.”Society21:70-74.
31.
Pollak, Otto
. 1950. The Criminality of Women. New York: A. S. Barnes.
32.
Simon, Rita J.1976. “Women and Crime Revisited.”Social Science Quarterly56:658-663.
33.
Simon, Rita J.
1979. “Women in Court.” Pp. 254-263 in The Criminology of Deviant Women, edited by Freda Adler and Rita J. Simon. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
34.
Singer, Linda R.1973. “Women and the Correctional Process.”American Criminal Law Review11:295-308.
35.
Smith, Douglas A.
, and Christy A. Visher. 1980. “Sex and Involvement in Deviance/Crime: A Quantitative Review of the Empirical Literature.”American Sociological Review45:691-701
36.
Spencer, Carol
, and John E. Berocochea. 1979. “Recidivism Among Women Parolees: A Long-Term Survey.” Pp. 372-385 in The Criminology of Deviant Women, edited by Freda Adler and Rita J. Simon. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
37.
Steffensmeier, Darrell J.1978. “Crime and the Contemporary Woman: An Analysis of Changing Levels of Property Crime, 1965-77.”Social Forces57:566-584.
38.
Steffensmeier, Darrell J.1980. “Sex Differences in Patterns of Adult Crime, 1965-77: A Review and Assessment.”Social Forces58:1080-1108.
39.
Steffensmeier, Darrell J.
and Michael J. Cobb. 1981. “Sex Differences in Urban Arrest Patterns, 1934-79.”Social Problems29:37-50.
40.
Steffensmeier, Darrell J.
and Renee Hoffman Steffensmeier. 1980. “Trends in Female Delinquency: An Examination of Arrest, Juvenile Court, Self-Report, and Field Data.”Criminology18:62-85.
41.
Sutherland, Edwin H.
1939. Criminology. Chicago: J.B. Lippincott.
42.
U.S. Bureau of the Census
. 1960. Characteristics of the Population. Vol. 1. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
43.
U.S. Bureau of the Census
1970. “Trends in Social and Economic Conditions in Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Areas.”Current Population Reports Special Studies, Series P-23, No. 33. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
44.
U.S. Bureau of the Census
1971a. “Social and Economic Characteristics of the Population in Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Areas: 1970 and 1960.”Current Population Reports Special Studies, Series P-23, No. 37. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
45.
U.S. Bureau of the Census
1971b. “The Social and Economic Status of Negroes in the United States, 1970.”Current Population Reports Special Studies, Series P-23, No. 38. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
46.
U.S. Bureau of the Census
1978a. “Social and Economic Characteristics of the Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Population: 1977 and 1970.”Current Population Reports Special Studies, Series P-23, No. 75. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
47.
U.S. Bureau of the Census
1978b. “The Social and Economic Status of the Black Population in the United States: An Historical View, 1790-1978.”Current Population Reports Special Studies, Series P-23, No. 80. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
48.
U.S. Bureau of the Census
1980a. 1980 Census of Population. Vol. 1, Characteristics of the Population. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
49.
U.S. Bureau of the Census
1980b. “A Statistical Portrait of Women in the United States: 1978.”Current Population Reports Special Studies, Series P-23, No. 100. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
50.
U.S. Bureau of the Census
1982a. “Characteristics of the Population Below the Poverty Level: 1980.”Current Population Reports, Series P-60, No. 133. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
51.
U.S. Bureau of the Census
1982b. “Money Income of Households, Families, and Persons in the United States: 1980.”Current Population Reports, Series P-60, No. 132. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
52.
U.S. Bureau of the Census
1983a. County and City Data Book, 1983. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
53.
U.S. Bureau of the Census
1983b. Statistical Abstract of the United States: 1984. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office
54.
U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation
. 1961. Uniform Crime Reports for the United States: 1960. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
55.
U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation
1966. Uniform Crime Reports for the United States: 1965. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
56.
U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation
1971. Uniform Crime Reports for the United States. 1970. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
57.
U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation
1976. Uniform Crime Reports for the United States: 1975. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
58.
U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation
1981. Uniform Crime Reports for the United States: 1980. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
59.
U.S. President's Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice
. 1967. Task Force Report: Crime and Its Impact—An Assessment. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
60.
Williams, Jay R.
, and Martin Gold. 1972. “From Delinquent Behavior to Official Delinquency.”Social Problems20:209-229.
61.
Young, Vernetta D.1980. “Women, Race, and Crime.”Criminology18:26-34.
