Policy Implications

Policy Implications

Implications of Feminist Theories on Criminal Justice Policies

Feminist theories are still a work in progress as they have not been clearly cut out and improvements are still being made. The feminist theories explain the role of patriarchy in a society and the way women are classified as a subordinate class to men. Feminist theorists tend to explain why some crimes tend to be committed by women while others tend to be committed by men. They however imply that men commit most of the crimes (Barlow & Scott, 2010). Most of the crimes are thought to be gender specific. This include prostitution, which is thought to be committed only by women, rape that is believed to be committed by men, sodomy is a crime attributed to men and many others. The criminal law has moved to abolish statutes that define gender specific roles and made the laws to be gender neutral. The general trend is to make all laws gender neutral such as those concerning rape laws and sexual assault.

The implications of de-gendering criminal laws and policies are grave. One area that has grave implications is the policies concerning domestic assault laws and policies. In cases concerning domestic assault, feminists have obtained bias in obtaining prosecution efforts in claiming that they have been assaulted. This is because on in-depth investigation into the cases, evidence has been found that the male counterparts have also claimed to be battered too but this was not considered in the investigations or at least with enough seriousness. This has made court rulings to be made in favor of the women in disregard to the accounts of the male counterparts that they too hade been assaulted. This is because domestic assault is believed to be committed by men (Code, 2003).

There have been arguments that the population in women prisons is too small for them to be considered for vocational training and programs. Women prisoners have used feminist theories to demand for equality in the criminal justice policies to be able to access the same vocational programs and training as their male counterparts. There has been an increase in the harshness of the sentences being served to male prisoners, which is an undesirable equality for gender activists to try to achieve.

Introverted People and Great Leadership

There has been rampant disillusionment about introversion and many do not quite appreciate this character type to the fullest. One who obtains the highest motivation when alone characterizes introversion. In the presence of a crowd, the energy is drained away. It has nothing to do with shyness, fear or lack of skills or any other stereotype. When one realizes and accepts his or her own character as an introvert, he has the ability to feign the character of an extrovert whenever the situation is called for. This makes them acquire the energy needed to face the crowd and retire to their lone cocoons to recharge their energy for the next social calling (Kahnweiler, 2009).

An introvert has to perfect this art of “acting” extroverted if one has to perform in front of a crowd, which is a major attribute of great leadership. Social skills are to be horned if one is to be leading. The world over is filled with great leaders who are believed to be introverts. This should be enough motivation and evidence that indeed that an introverted person with average charisma and personality has the hope to achieve characteristics that would lead to him or her being described as a great leader. These include Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, Gandhi, Shakira, and Britney Spears.

It is widely believed that introverts are best suited in taking up leadership roles. This is attributed to their quality of being able to think tactfully and being able to choose their words before making a comment. This is as opposed to extroverts who tend to make comments before they have carefully thought through their statements. This good attribute works to their advantage as words are difficult to take back and should be carefully thought through before being uttered by leaders (Sharma & Rachana, 1997). Introverts have the habit of being reserved. This does not mean however that they cannot command attention. Charisma tends to be a hindrance to great leadership. CEO’s tend to perform the best as non-celebrities. This is because they tend to speak less but their actions speak volumes.

 

References

Barlow, D. H. & Scott, H. D. (2010). Criminology and Public Policy: Putting Theory to Work. San Francisco, CA: Temple University Press.

Code, L. (2003). Encyclopedia of feminist theories. New York, NY: Routledge.

Kahnweiler, K. J. (2009).The Introverted Leader: Building on Your Quiet Strength. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers.

Sharma, R. K. & Rachana, S. (1997). Social Psychology. New Delhi, Delhi: Atlantic Publishers & Distributors.