This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Kruttschnitt, C. Articles by Savolainen, J. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Ages of Chivalry, Places of Paternalism

Gender and Criminal Sentencing in Finland

University of Toronto, Canada, c.kruttschnitt{at}utoronto.ca

Jukka Savolainen

University of Nebraska at Omaha, USA, jsavolainen{at}unomaha.edu

In this study, we argue that the traditional paradigm used to explain the leniency accorded to women offenders in US criminal courts ignores advances in feminist research which suggest how normative patterns that reinforce gender identities can and do change. Using data from Finland, a society generally characterized by more gender equality than is found in the USA, we examine whether an offender's sex has a significant impact on the decision to imprison. Controlling for relevant legal and social characteristics, and considering the conditional effects of labour force participation and parental responsibilities, the findings show that the often-noted preferential treatment given to female offenders, relative to their male counterparts in the USA, is not present in Finland.

Key Words: Finland • Gender • Sentencing • Sex Disparities.

European Journal of Criminology, Vol. 6, No. 3, 225-247 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/1477370809102166


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?