TY - JOUR
T1 - Female Sex Offenders in Ireland
T2 - Examining the Response of the Criminal Justice System
AU - Leahy, Susan
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2020.
PY - 2020/11/1
Y1 - 2020/11/1
N2 - This article focuses on the Irish criminal justice system’s response to female sex offending. As in other jurisdictions, very little attention has been paid to female sexual offending in Ireland. However, sexual offenses involving female offenders are occurring and are increasingly being detected and prosecuted. The article provides an overview of female sex offending in Ireland, offering a discussion of available prevalence statistics and an analysis of Irish cases where women have been convicted of sexual offenses. It is argued that, in light of the fact that women are clearly being convicted of sexual offenses in Ireland, it is timely to question whether current laws and policies on sexual offenses and offenders are equipped to deal with female offenders and what types of reforms are likely to be necessary to effectively respond to this category of sexual offending. The potential for reform is considered with reference to three key stages of the criminal justice process: (a) reporting and detection; (b) prosecution and punishment; and (c) treatment and rehabilitation.
AB - This article focuses on the Irish criminal justice system’s response to female sex offending. As in other jurisdictions, very little attention has been paid to female sexual offending in Ireland. However, sexual offenses involving female offenders are occurring and are increasingly being detected and prosecuted. The article provides an overview of female sex offending in Ireland, offering a discussion of available prevalence statistics and an analysis of Irish cases where women have been convicted of sexual offenses. It is argued that, in light of the fact that women are clearly being convicted of sexual offenses in Ireland, it is timely to question whether current laws and policies on sexual offenses and offenders are equipped to deal with female offenders and what types of reforms are likely to be necessary to effectively respond to this category of sexual offending. The potential for reform is considered with reference to three key stages of the criminal justice process: (a) reporting and detection; (b) prosecution and punishment; and (c) treatment and rehabilitation.
KW - Ireland
KW - law
KW - punishment
KW - sex offenders
KW - women
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85087040943&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/1043986220936116
DO - 10.1177/1043986220936116
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85087040943
SN - 1043-9862
VL - 36
SP - 539
EP - 558
JO - Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice
JF - Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice
IS - 4
ER -