ABSTRACT
Women and men are differentially connected to the social world and their experience of crime and victimisation is, in important respects, distinct. The focus on women’s experiences ‘can take us a long way towards recognising some of the effects of gender-blind thinking’ (Walklate 2004: 18). This chapter addresses women as both perpetrators and victims of crime (although, as will be demonstrated, these two categorisations are not mutually exclusive) it discusses sentencing and imprisonment, the characteristics and experiences of women offenders and community sanctions for women. The relationship that young women have with crime is then considered before moving on to look at prostitution, domestic abuse and sexual victimisation and the distinct features of these in the Scottish context. It demonstrates that while there have been significant developments in Scotland over recent years there is still some way to go in terms of addressing the social conditions that lead to both women’s offending and victimisation, and in delivering an appropriate and just criminal justice response.
