The debate over criminal justice literature has existed for a long time, and some of the discussions included in the discussion include the legal and extralegal factors that have an impact in the processing of offenders in different gender groups. To start with, legal variables focus on such issues as the severity of the crime committed, the type of crime, the historical background of the offender in terms of their criminal records (Hilinski, Carly, Tina & Andrew, 2014). Extralegal factors, on the other hand, refer to such personal characteristics such as race, socio-economic status, race, education, among others.

While dealing with female offenders, several extralegal factors tend to influence the decisions of the judges. One of the common elements is age, where judges tend to be a bit lenient when dealing with female offenders who are younger than 18 years old. Such offenders also, are not taken into jails but instead are taken into juveniles where they are still provided with essential opportunities as education opportunities(Hilinski, Carly, Tina & Andrew, 2014). The socio-economic level of individuals also tends to have an impact on the making of such decisions. Offenders in the higher socio-economic levels tend to be dealt with a bit leniently as compared to those in lower statuses(Micle, Mihai, Oancea & Doina, 2013). Other extralegal factors such as race, education, the victim-offender relationship among others are less impactful in the processing of female offenders.

On the other hand, almost every legal factor tends to have an impact on the processing of female offenders. Women who conduct severe offenses such as theft with violence are more likely to be fined heavily or be subjected to a longer term in prison. Similarly, women who have a positive criminal record are more likely to be subjected to more severe sentences as compared to those without any crime records (Micle, Mihai, Oancea & Doina, 2013).Severe judgments characterize violent crimes such as assault, murder and robbery as compared to non-violent crimes.

Works Cited

Hilinski-Rosick, Carly M., Tina L. Freiburger, and Andrew Verheek. “The effects of legal and extralegal variables on the sentences of sex offenders.” Victims & Offenders 9.3 (2014): 334-351.

Micle, Mihai Ioan, Oancea Gabriel, and Doina Ştefana Săucan. “Legal and Extralegal Factors Influencing Judge’s Penal Decisions.” Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences78 (2013): 697-701.

 
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