Gender Bias in the Judicial System

[ButterflyDragon]

A few people and myself have discussed the blatant gender bias in the crimes that occur here in the states.

I was blown away when I read today that Amanda Hamm was found not guilty of murder, but guilty of child endangerment.

Two people commit a crime together. Both are present when it occurs. The man is found guilty of murder, the woman is guilty of child endangerment. This is by far the most obvious case of gender bias I've ever seen.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/12/12/drowning.trial.ap/index.html

Even Hamm's own mother says she believed her daughter was guilty of murder.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/12/10/national/main587831.shtml

[Levi]

Oh I know this thread will not be popular with feminists! LOL. I think there is a gender bias in our criminal justice system. If they murder their children they have PPD, they were depressed, it wasn't their fault. If they kill their husband, everyone looks for evidence of domestic violence. In murder cases our society looks for excuses. If a man did anything like what some of these killing females do -- everyone (including me) would be up in arms wanting them to get the death penalty.

[Levi]

I forgot to mention teacher/student sex scandals. If it is a male teacher w/ a female student, he is lynched -- & rightfully so. If it is a female w/ a male, everyone laughs about it & wants to high five the male student who scored w/ the teacher. Some of the female offenders are PEDOPHILES. I think MKL was & Debra LaFave. Oh BTW -- didn't you all just love the defense of Debra LaFave: "She is too preety to go to jail." :rolleyes:

[katta]

I forgot to mention teacher/student sex scandals. If it is a male teacher w/ a female student, he is lynched -- & rightfully so. If it is a female w/ a male, everyone laughs about it & wants to high five the male student who scored w/ the teacher. Some of the female offenders are PEDOPHILES. I think MKL was & Debra LaFave. Oh BTW -- didn't you all just love the defense of Debra LaFave: "She is too preety to go to jail." :rolleyes:


That is innaccurate considering how many males even confessed rapists get out of serving time or do you not read about that?

What about the male child rapist who was told by the judge he was too short for prison?

What about the male rapist who was told by the judge that he no longer wants to punish criminals and gave him a 6 month sentence?

Should I be screaming about gender bias or would it be more accurate if I just plainly stated that sometimes courts aren't always doing the right thing?

People to this day still bring up Mary Kate Letourneu as though she got off so easy but how long did she serve compared to the true average sentence?

She served her whole sentence where as there have been several cases of males and other females that have spent at the maximum five years and less in prison.

This isn't a gender thing. This is a lack of sympathy and empathy thing. It seems like people don't really take rape seriously oh and since you are thinking that men are victims then explain why is it that in order to determine if it was the rape victims fault when she reports it to the police they ask her what she was wearing?

See for everything you bring up about how gender bias it is, you'll see that police will counter that with trying to blame the female victim from the start with what she was wearing.

Rape used to be your word against theirs but now with dna evidence, that brings alot of truth out.

Seriously, do you think that male and female rapists should be able to get away with serving a maximum sentence of 10 years and can talk it down to 3?

Do you think that they should also get away with probation for 10 years or less and in some cases serve only 6 months?

Then again we do have a database of sexual predators but what alot of people don't know is that registering as a sex offender could also mean that you were a stripper in a club that got arrested for touching a client or getting too close while dancing topless. That happens in Texas. They arrest the women, make them register as a sex offender for life. Why? What exactly is that going to do? It seems like to me there must be a reason?? It can't be to make us safer so it must be to make us feel even more threatened?

A 13 year old female has to register as a sex offender for having sex with her 12 year old boyfriend. How is she a threat to everyone else?

When it comes to this subject even after you do the time, you are in a database for all to see to supposedly keep you safe but really our system is becoming more and more corrupt and now everyone is shaking in their panties with fear.


When you can't even trust the justice system to do their job then who can you trust?

[ButterflyDragon]

That is innaccurate considering how many males even confessed rapists get out of serving time or do you not read about that?

*snipped for brevity*



What you're talking about has nothing to do with gender bias.

Gender bias in the judicial system is a known fact. Almost every state has formed a commission of some sort to examine the problem.

Males vs females; same crimes, different sentences. And it is more pronounced in jury trials. The disparity in sentencing still exists when sentenced by a judge, but it skyrockets when it's a jury trial.

If you are a white female, you have the best chance in our judicial system of getting off easier than any other gender/race.

[katta]

What you're talking about has nothing to do with gender bias.

Gender bias in the judicial system is a known fact. Almost every state has formed a commission of some sort to examine the problem.

Males vs females; same crimes, different sentences. And it is more pronounced in jury trials. The disparity in sentencing still exists when sentenced by a judge, but it skyrockets when it's a jury trial.

If you are a white female, you have the best chance in our judicial system of getting off easier than any other gender/race.

Yes but you just asserted WHITE FEMALE meaning race and sex is implicated however considering there are alot more males that are tried for sex crimes, there are also alot of males that get slaps on their wrists so it's easy to focus on a female's case than review all thousands of males cases.

That is the media for you. If anything if you are a white female that is pretty, your chances of being covered on the news is high. If you are a sexual predator there is no real circumstancial evidence backing up the claims that women get slaps on the wrist in comparison.

I want for you to educate yourself of the actual sentence of sex crimes like rape and molestation. Also maybe apart of you is also looking for this as an answer because you only want to see it that way.

I've heard plenty of cases of males not doing the time but it's expected to be double that of females because there are more males that are tried. Even confessed child rapists that are men have recieved little time. The maximum jail time for such crimes is 10 years! Do you know half of those serving maximum time only spend 5 years? Want to make a female vs male comparison to that? Mary Kay Letourneu, how long was her sentence?

[Levi]

That is innaccurate considering how many males even confessed rapists get out of serving time or do you not read about that?

What about the male child rapist who was told by the judge he was too short for prison?

What about the male rapist who was told by the judge that he no longer wants to punish criminals and gave him a 6 month sentence?

Should I be screaming about gender bias or would it be more accurate if I just plainly stated that sometimes courts aren't always doing the right thing?

People to this day still bring up Mary Kate Letourneu as though she got off so easy but how long did she serve compared to the true average sentence?

She served her whole sentence where as there have been several cases of males and other females that have spent at the maximum five years and less in prison.

This isn't a gender thing. This is a lack of sympathy and empathy thing. It seems like people don't really take rape seriously oh and since you are thinking that men are victims then explain why is it that in order to determine if it was the rape victims fault when she reports it to the police they ask her what she was wearing?

See for everything you bring up about how gender bias it is, you'll see that police will counter that with trying to blame the female victim from the start with what she was wearing.

Rape used to be your word against theirs but now with dna evidence, that brings alot of truth out.

Seriously, do you think that male and female rapists should be able to get away with serving a maximum sentence of 10 years and can talk it down to 3?

Do you think that they should also get away with probation for 10 years or less and in some cases serve only 6 months?

Then again we do have a database of sexual predators but what alot of people don't know is that registering as a sex offender could also mean that you were a stripper in a club that got arrested for touching a client or getting too close while dancing topless. That happens in Texas. They arrest the women, make them register as a sex offender for life. Why? What exactly is that going to do? It seems like to me there must be a reason?? It can't be to make us safer so it must be to make us feel even more threatened?

A 13 year old female has to register as a sex offender for having sex with her 12 year old boyfriend. How is she a threat to everyone else?

When it comes to this subject even after you do the time, you are in a database for all to see to supposedly keep you safe but really our system is becoming more and more corrupt and now everyone is shaking in their panties with fear.


When you can't even trust the justice system to do their job then who can you trust?

They didn't get off easy because of their gender. All these women who rape their students get off VERY light. It is a known fact. Karla Homolka a female serial killer GOT off VERY easy. While her husband will be in jail for the rest of his life. There is a gender bias & anyone that doesn't see that, is kidding themselves. If you are a decent looking woman, you will be treated diffrently than a man in the justice system. That is a fact.

[Levi]

Yes but you just asserted WHITE FEMALE meaning race and sex is implicated however considering there are alot more males that are tried for sex crimes, there are also alot of males that get slaps on their wrists so it's easy to focus on a female's case than review all thousands of males cases.

That is the media for you. If anything if you are a white female that is pretty, your chances of being covered on the news is high. If you are a sexual predator there is no real circumstancial evidence backing up the claims that women get slaps on the wrist in comparison.

I want for you to educate yourself of the actual sentence of sex crimes like rape and molestation. Also maybe apart of you is also looking for this as an answer because you only want to see it that way.

I've heard plenty of cases of males not doing the time but it's expected to be double that of females because there are more males that are tried. Even confessed child rapists that are men have recieved little time. The maximum jail time for such crimes is 10 years! Do you know half of those serving maximum time only spend 5 years? Want to make a female vs male comparison to that? Mary Kay Letourneu, how long was her sentence?

Do you think that if Mathew Winkler shot his wife Mary Winkler that everyone would be looking for excuses for him? Ofcourse they wouldn't. They would be asking for the death penalty. But many people are looking for excuses for Mary because she is a woman. They are slandering Mathew Winkler's name by brining up all this BS about Mary being a battered woman, or that he molested the children, when there is NO evidence to back up any of those absurd claims.

[katta]

Do you think that if Mathew Winkler shot his wife Mary Winkler that everyone would be looking for excuses for him? Ofcourse they wouldn't. They would be asking for the death penalty. But many people are looking for excuses for Mary because she is a woman. They are slandering Mathew Winkler's name by brining up all this BS about Mary being a battered woman, or that he molested the children, when there is NO evidence to back up any of those absurd claims.

Once again there was a case (I think it was in the 1980's) where a man who killed his wife won the case because he dribbled on about what a ***** she was.

You also have to take into considertaion that judges are people too. Some of those judges may be more sympathetic to men some are more sympathetic to women and some judges have no sympathy at all for rape victims and let the rapist off male and female.

Then you also have to take into consideration that we have a jury of peers that are called into jury duty. Considering the masses are the asses and there are also smart people painted into the mix like a Where's Waldo picture book, there are reasons for injustice or people not doing the time that another person may do.

Place a jury of KKK members to reach a verdict for a black man. What will happen?
Place a jury of black panthers to reach a verdict for a black man. What will happen?

Place a jury of closet child molestors in a jury to reach a verdict for a child molestor...what will happen?


I think this jury of peers is played out. how do we know if someone's life isn't at stake because the jury was tired of it and just wanted to go home? How do we know killers are found not guilty because it was a long trial and the jury just wanted to go home?

Is it time that we make being a jury member a career opportunity and you can take courses in college for it?

It would be a drastic change but maybe random people with little to know experience with handling being on jury duty is alot like trusting a surgeon who got his or her degree from a cracker jack box and who has never operated on a patient in their life.

Would you trust that surgeon if you knew about this lack of experience with your life?

[AmyW]

I still don't know the real reason she did it; was it over money issues? If so, that's not only horribly petty and disgusting, it's outrageous. Was it because of some unknown reason....the marriage was 'disintegrating', as she stated? Get a divorce, lady. Not the shotgun. Way to ruin a bunch of lives in a second... :cuss:

I agree that there is gender bias running both ways and I only wish the system was fair. Unfortunately, it really and truly isn't.

[ButterflyDragon]

Yes but you just asserted WHITE FEMALE meaning race and sex is implicated however considering there are alot more males that are tried for sex crimes, there are also alot of males that get slaps on their wrists so it's easy to focus on a female's case than review all thousands of males cases.

That is the media for you. If anything if you are a white female that is pretty, your chances of being covered on the news is high. If you are a sexual predator there is no real circumstancial evidence backing up the claims that women get slaps on the wrist in comparison.

I want for you to educate yourself of the actual sentence of sex crimes like rape and molestation. Also maybe apart of you is also looking for this as an answer because you only want to see it that way.

I've heard plenty of cases of males not doing the time but it's expected to be double that of females because there are more males that are tried. Even confessed child rapists that are men have recieved little time. The maximum jail time for such crimes is 10 years! Do you know half of those serving maximum time only spend 5 years? Want to make a female vs male comparison to that? Mary Kay Letourneu, how long was her sentence?

What are you talking about?

I haven't said a word about "sex crimes". My comments have been directed around the topic of this thread. Gender bias in the judicial system. And the story I put up clearly demonstrated gender bias.

Gender bias is a FACT. Go visit your state Attorney General's website. I'm sure you'll find something on there about it. As I stated before, most states have formed commissions and/or investigatory committees to examine the problem and try to rectify it.

It has nothing to do with the "number" of people incarcerated. It has everything to do with the average sentence for a particular crime for a male versus a female.

Just so happens most of the studies have also decided to examine racial biases as well. Hence my statement about being a white female having the best opportunity to get an easy sentence.

It is fact. It's not really debatable. I wanted to generate a topic on the conversation because most people are unaware of the problem, or just don't care.

[Levi]

I still don't know the real reason she did it; was it over money issues? If so, that's not only horribly petty and disgusting, it's outrageous. Was it because of some unknown reason....the marriage was 'disintegrating', as she stated? Get a divorce, lady. Not the shotgun. Way to ruin a bunch of lives in a second... :cuss:

I agree that there is gender bias running both ways and I only wish the system was fair. Unfortunately, it really and truly isn't.

I think that she got pissed off because Mathew insulted her about the Nigerian internet scan. I think she held in her anger & chose a time to kill him, when he would least expect it. Which we all know was in the early hours of the morning while he was sleeping.

When a man kills his wife, we as a society do not search for excuses & possible defenses. In the Winkler case, I felt so sorry for Mathew's family, to have his name dragged through the dirt & to see people speculating on whether or not he beat Mary, or whether or not he molested the children. When there is NO evidence to back up any of those absurd claims. It had to be extremely hard for his family. I can only imagine the pain they went & are going through.

[mnoffki]

Gender bias is a fact, and I agree with this very strongly. The argument I am seeing here between Katta and Levi is slowly veering from that. That's not a criticism, but in this post, I hope to put it back on track.

There are certainly cases of male sexual predators getting off easy, or we wouldn't have so many repeat offenders out there. Mary Kay Letorneau is a horrible example because she is a unique case. She is currently married to the boy she served time for raping, and even now, in between revulsion and a shrug, I'm not sure what to make of that case, especially seeing where it's all ended up.

Fact is, the majority of female sexual predators get off very easy. People don't take these cases seriously because a 15 year old boy that makes it with a 30 year old is considered manly by society, while a 15 year old that makes it with a 30 year old is simply raped and ruined. Is this right? Not at all. The penalties should be the same in either case, but that's not how it works, and this is gender bias.

As one of you mentioned, Karla Homolka, who in my eyes, is sicker than her ex-husband for planning the rape and sedation of her sister, then covering up the murder and going on to commit more murders, is living free in Canada right now. She is no less guilty or dangerous than her husband, but he's the one serving the life term.

It's absolutely evident throughout the justice system with so many cases where women murder their children that excuses are made for them. If Andrea Yates had been a man, especially in my home state of Texas, she'd have gone to the chair by now. Instead, she's in a mental institution. When God orders a woman to murder, she's crazy and needs help, but when God talks to a man and tells him to murder, he's crazy and needs to die or be incarcerated for life. If the defense is depression, it will not work if the defendant is a man. In Western society, a man suffering from depression is seen as weak and disgraceful, and thus, no one will take him as seriously as a woman with depression because the woman is still seen as the "weaker" sex.

The gender bias is as much an inuslt to any self respecting woman as it should be to everyone else. It does imply that we are weak and don't have the ability to even commit a crime for ourselves. I'm no feminist, but aside from being unfair to the public and endangering them by giving these freaks a slap on the wrist, it is insulting to me as a woman.