Feminist criminology is the branch of criminology that examines how gender influences crime and the justice system. It explores how the judicial system treats woman-centric crimes differently, both for victims and offenders. Although the criminal justice system is meant to provide fair justice, it frequently exhibits subtle biases that influence sentencing outcomes. The law requires men and women to be treated equally for similar acts, but in reality gender frequently has a significant influence on the harshness of punishment. Despite being equally guilty, men and women are typically sentenced differently, with women more often receiving leniency. Judges and juries may be more sympathetic to female offenders due to their reluctance to impose severe punishments that would deprive them of their loved ones and interfere with their maternal duties. Due to this bias, women may receive rehabilitation rather than punishment from the courts, whereas men are more likely to face the full weight of the law.
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Ankush Saxena, School of Law, UPES, Dehradun, India
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