Criminal Justice System: Gender Bias.
True equality has never existed in the United States. From the creation of the Declaration of Independence to the present time, the United States Legislators have failed to create a legal system free of inequalities. This essay will seek to demonstrate that gender-bias in the Criminal Justice System exists. This essay cannot be comprehensive; therefore I have chosen to focus on the inequalities of females and males during the sentencing process, in vocational rehabilitation, and in medical treatment. .
Some feminists" literature supports these inequalities with statistics, such as; females that kill their mates are sentenced to an average of 15-20 years in prison, while men on an average receives two to six years without citing any evidence. The United States Justice Department, however, notes the opposite is true. "Males receive 16.5 years while the females obtain a more lenient six-year penalty for the same crime. In instances of spousal murder, females are acquitted 12.9% of the time, while males are acquitted only 1.49% of the time" (Bosely). Add this fact to the difference in sentencing and it become apparent inequity exists. The image portrayed is that females who fight back against their batters are punished less severely than males. The truth is females are at an advantage in the criminal justice system when it comes to violent crimes.
Although it seems that females have the advantage during the sentencing process, they"re at a disadvantage in the corrections system. Despite their educational level being on par with that of males, female prisoners are not provided the same educational and vocational opportunities as males. In an article, "Rights for All: Violations of the Human Rights of Women in Prison, the article states that:.
Female prisoners brought legal action to obtain equity with male prisoners. The court ordered the corrections department to provide female prisoners with equal access to educational and vocational programs available to male prisoners.