Feminism Criminal Justice

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Pages: 10

I. Abstract The criminal law system has been the ideal response to justice punishment, leading us to believe that achieving feminist justice is only attainable through criminal law. Yet, there exist further beneficiary alternatives to conceptualizing justice. Mainstream feminists, also known as carceral feminists, are in favor of the criminal justice system. They believe advocating for longer and harsher sentences will help solve feminist and gender issues. Carceral feminists focus on putting perpetrators behind bars, but is this exactly equal to justice? Are women satisfied with this system, or are we women just satisfying our desire to feel vindicated? Is it only possible for arrest to amount to equality? In reality, are women simply buying …show more content…
During the first wave of feminism in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the focus was primarily on securing fundamental rights, such as the right to vote. Consequently, feminist efforts were directed toward achieving suffrage rather than challenging the criminal justice system directly. This limited engagement with criminal justice issues reflected the prevailing societal priorities of the time. However, as feminism evolved into the second wave during the 1960s, there was a notable shift towards addressing broader societal injustices, including those within the criminal justice system. Second-wave feminists advocated for legal reforms to combat domestic violence, including the establishment of shelters and rape crisis centers. Moreover, they pushed for legislative changes to address issues such as marital rape, which was not recognized as a crime until later in the 1970s. The third wave of feminism, emerging in the 1990s, further expanded the feminist agenda to include racial and cultural diversity issues, challenging gender stereotypes, and advocating for the rights of marginalized women within the criminal justice