Jef Mantuano

Mantuano 1

English 101
Professor Ogbara
12 December 2015
Article Review
Harmon, Mark G. & OBrien, Robert M. Gendered Sentencing: Explaining
the Narrowing of the Gender Gap in Imprisonment Over Time: 1970 2008.
Sociological Perspectives 54 4.0 (2011). 641 664. Print.
In this article, Mark G. Harmon and Robert M. OBrien cover the narrowing of the
gender gap in imprisonment during the 1970s to 2008. They use statistics and graphs to show
that while men imprisonment rises, so does women imprisonment. But womens imprisonment
rose at a much higher rate than men. The authors clarify why 90 percent of prison population is
men, when women imprisonment rose up 13 times.
Harmon and OBrien explain why gender gap in imprisonment is narrowing. Through
their own research, they found that most female crimes were related to alcohol. This was caused
when the blood alcohol content was reduced from 0.1 percent to 0.08 percent. Another reason of
the narrowing gender gap in imprisonment is because of drug crimes. Women were constantly
being sentenced to prison for drug crimes. In most cases, women would use the stereotype of
being a mother and a caregiver as an advantage, but with drug crimes that was not the case.
Illegal drugs did not only affect the user, but also affected whoever was around them (like their
family).
Sentencing reforms also take part on the narrowing of the gender gap in imprisonment.
While the sentencing reform did not affect the more violent and serious crime that men commit
(homicides, rape, forgeries, embezzlements, and prostitution), it affected the less violent crimes
that women commit (drug crimes, assaults, robberies, and repeated offender).

Mantuano 2
Another way that narrows the gender gap in imprisonment would be to change the way
women are treated. Women are viewed like they are not prison material and this makes men
more guilty than if a woman committed the crime. They should be judged like men, with no
chivalrous treatment. All criminals are the same so nobody should have an advantage.
With the reforms taking place, women should not get chivalrous treatment and lighter
sentencing. This is not the case because research has shown women were seen less guilty than
men who have committed the same crime. This illustrates that with all these changes and
promotion of equality, some things will never be equal. Men and women stereotypes will always
be take accounted for when it comes to treatment.
The authors showed their credibility by the statistics they presented in their articles. They
have shown that they have the facts to back up their point. They use the unfair treatment between
men and women to show their frustrations with the justice system.