ABSTRACT
Some writers have observed the existence of an identifiable feminist criminology (Brown, 1986) while others have argued that to have a few writers calling their work feminist does not constitute a ‘feminist criminology’ (Smart, 1977). Moreover, where attempts to create such a ‘feminist criminology’ have been made, there has not been any consensus about its success. Pat Carlen (1988) identified two problems with the endeavour first, most feminists, she suggests, identify crime as a male problem, ironically agreeing with the great body of traditional criminology; and second, where there has been an attempt to identify a universal explanation of crime that applies to both men and women, it has been theoretically unsound.
