Victorian Criminology: Women In The 19th Century

Victorian Criminology: women sentencing Throughout 19th century Victorian England, many policies and traditions were placed, many of which focused on crime and punishment, and criminology focused on women and crime in gendered sentencing patterns in the Late Victorian Period. Many people have a set definition or belief of what criminology is, and how citizens should be punished for their actions. According to Merriam Webster Dictionary, criminology is the study of “crime, criminals, and the punishment of criminals.” Victorian Criminology focused a lot on crime and punishment, and on comparing men and women. In the nineteenth century, Victorian England had traditions and policies on crime and punishment. For instance, there were policies …show more content…
Burglary was considered an art of some sort. However, if you were a young girl who stole at the age of thirteen, like Sarah Doman, and denied taking money, you would be sentenced to one month’s imprisonment and three years in a reformatory (Barrett 278-9). There are many other examples of offenses, including: larceny and assaulting the police; assault; alleged cruelty by a step-mother; alleged thefts; highway robberies and indecent assaults, etc. Other forms of punishment for these actions included a certain amount of time of imprisonment, depending on the offense; a fine; and the issuing of a warrant if a court appearance was not made (Barrett …show more content…
However, women faced less harsh penalties and were shown leniency based on the knowledge of women and gender sentencing, one cannot ignore traditions of punishment by gender for those who are offenders convicted of assault, and the factors influencing women sentencing. They would often receive a lesser fine, also depending on their behavior in court. This providing the truth of gender bias in criminal offense against men and