This immediately reminded me of the recent story about Faye McCallum, a female sex offender who will soon be moved to a male prison. More about that (and a link to the news story), as well as my answers to the topic questions, can be found here.

Gee, this isn't getting much of a response. Ah well. I did post my own response here.

I'm going to free associate a bit to this topic, and hope I find my way back to answering the question!

I was reading an article the other day regarding women and militarisation, discussing the form that women's inclusion in the military takes. The author (Jackie Cock) suggested that images of women in the military, such as those epitomised in movies like the dreaded 'GI Jane', as well as comments by commanders, for example in the first gulf war, reflected a desire to incorporate women, to make them 'just like men'. I think this kind of concept of equality - that to be equal, women need to be 'just like men'. This image celebrating women as 'equally capable' of violence is one that seems to continue in films like Kill Bill. Where I find this version of 'equality' problemmatic is its presumption that masculinity is the term against which such equality should be measured.

However, I think there is also another factor in these movies - a kind of fetishisation of violence, which raises (or lowers!) it to a pornographic level. Through the filmmakers lens, even as she grasps towards being 'violent like men', she is still positioned as 'woman', as the object to the filmmaker and viewer's subject.

I suppose what I'm saying is that perhaps the trend towards increasing violence amongst women is perhaps a reflection of this mistake, that is prevalent in liberal feminism - a sense of becoming equal by being more masculine.

Gosh, I hope that made sense!

I think the pattern of women serving longer sentences for the same crime is part of a broader pattern in the judiciary and prison services. A woman found guilty of a violent crime is more likely to receive a heavier sentence, and to serve more of that sentence. While overcrowding might explain some of that, I think we're also seeing a kind of patriarchal 'punishment' meted to women who step outside the feminine ideal.

This is a tough topic for me. I believe women should learn combat, should learn to defend themselves and let's face it we live in a violent world. We have this image in our minds that girls are made of sugar and spice and everything nice, but when I was growing up I knew a lot of girls in gangs and they were just as militant and violent as the guys in the gangs. I'm not sure women have become more violent, but maybe the blinders have been removed. I think before feminism and equality when a woman committed a violent crime no one wanted to believe 'a woman could do such a thing' so pretended it didn't happen. But, now women are more out in the world and moving into positions that were once male only and all of a sudden we aren't the sweet little things needing protection and we are bothering our pretty little heads about things, so we are perceived differently than women in our mothers generation and the young women today are judged more harshly than we were. Is it fair? I don't know.

As for the young woman going to prison for up to 3 years for a first offense DWI... I just feel that is too harsh, especially considering the age of the victim and the fact he died 9 days after the accident. The cause could be questionable. My heart goes out to her.

I feel that the theory of women being more violent because of video games and movies, etc. is pretty stupid. When I was growing up people tried to blame everything on the music, or the tv. Sure, kids today are more accustomed to witnessing violence because of the exposure to them, but watching someone on the tv or in a movie is a lot different than doing it yourself. I think it's another case of bad parents trying to point the finger of blame elsewhere. If the parents did the job they were supposed to then the kids would not only know reality from fantasy, but would know right from wrong. Too many parents are either not around (sometimes because of legitimate but unfortunate reasons like having to work full time) or they simply don't take the time to get involved. Many parents I knew simply never cared or refused to even try to relate to the kids because they had the thought pattern that "I went through the same thing and turned out ok." And in my personal opinion, discipline is lacking now days. I do NOT believe in beating a child, but the line between discipline and beating that used to be distinguishable is now fuzzed and confusing. Kids know that if they get a "whipping" or slapped across the face that they can threaten to call DSS or claim they're being abused, and often times this type of thing gets hung over the parents head. I can't tell you how many times I've seen a kid in a store "showing their ass" and have seen the parents let them get by with it. If I had acted like that I would have been popped very quickly and would have learned to act right. Instead kids think they have the upperhand now, and in truth they do.

As for jail, it is unfair that women serve longer sentences simply because of jails not being overcrowded. I think that people in jail have too many liberties now though, and if they were to revert back to something similar of the old "chain gangs" it would make some two-bit criminals think twice before committing a crime. To a lot of people jail isn't a big deal. I went to school with guys who had been in and out of jails and to them it was an air-conditioned place with three square meals a day and recreational workout areas. They had tv, they had visits, they got a FREE education at the expense of the taxpayers, AND they had activities like weight lifting and socialized events. And we wonder why so many people get out of jail only to commit more crimes and go right back in. Make it so that they would do just about anything to KEEP from going in.

As for getting 3 years for a first DUI, I can agree and disagree with that. I didn't read the story but it looks as if someone was killed as a result? Three years to serve for something that resulted in a death is nothing. It's a sticky situation, and I could go either way on this one depending on the situations.

Another way to look at this though is that perhaps judges are losing their sexist edge and finally prosecuting women who have committed crimes, rather than dismissing the case because women have traditionally been seen as incapable of violence. I don't necessarily agree with how we punish criminals in this country (why is a cop's life worth more than mine?).

As for the DWI case, don't expect any tears from me. If someone is man or woman enough to be drinking, then she should know what her limits are and behave responsibly. It has been drilled into us all not to drink and drive, or to take substances and drive, and it offends me that sympathy would go towards the person who caused the accident, rather than towards the victim. With that said, of course men and women should be equally penalized. It doesn't surprise me that they aren't, considering how many still consider women to be biologically-born as bad drivers.

When I read Kerri's comments regarding the DWI and how she was offended by anyone having sympathy for the person involved, I felt anger towards Kerri for insensitive and thoughtless remarks. After all, only someone who is perfect and never made a mistake in their life could sit in such judgement of another. But then I started thinking, maybe Kerri is the all perfect person, so I apologize for my first reaction. In the future though Kerri please try to realize the majority of us are not so perfect, have made a lot of mistakes and are more able to see how something like that could happen to someone who would never have thought of driving under the influence, but... well, made that one mistake.

Thanks to everyone for the comments. To Bonnie and Kerri. To be honest, if I didn't know the person involved and the circumstances I think I would feel more like Kerri. If you kill someone, you should go to prison. However, knowing the person, knowing that she did not normally drink, that this was a fluke, that the man was very, very old, that he died 9 days after the accident, etc., etc., that she is so remorseful that she feels she deserves the punishment, that prison will not make her a better person, etc., etc., I know this is not right. And I was not a very sympathetic person when I was younger either. Actually, it was when I learned compassion, empathy and sympathy that I became a feminist. I was always of the belief that any woman who wasn't willing to work as hard as I did to get her job didn't deserve to have one. I've learned different. Just as I've learned that every situation has relative issues, just as this one.

Bonnie- There is a difference between making an innocent mistake where one does not know what the outcome might be, and drinking and driving. It's the same as not using a condom...for people who are about my age, we have been inundated with warnings about safe sex and drunk driving since birth. To have casual unprotected sex or to get behind the wheel after drinking, and then expect not to be harmed is irresponsible and fooling oneself.

I have compassion for the victim, regardless of his age.

Re: Bonnie's comments earlier on this entry... I just want to remind everyone that one of this community's posting guidelines is to argue respectfully and without personal attacks. It's perfectly fine to question Kerri's opinion, but the personal comments are inappropriate and irrelevant to the discussion. Any future comments to that effect will be deleted.

My own thoughts on the matter... I think Kerri has a point that we may have become more equitable in our punishment of women for the crimes they commit. That, to me, seems fair. I don't believe it's strongly related to depictions of women in the media, except that perhaps those depictions have also become more equitable. However, I don't have enough expertise on this subject to answer conclusively.

On number 2 - if women do end up serving longer sentences just because of overcrowding in men's prisons, that is wildly unfair. Again, not something I know much about, but it seems like there ought to be some legal/political action taken on the issue.

Anyone know of good resources to find more information on women and violence? On prison populations?

i finally responded here.