Recidivism

Abstract

This study on Recidivism among Women Offenders: A Study in Mumbai City revolves around how newline women enter crime and become repeat offenders. Women and their association with crime becomes newline pertinent considering their vulnerability, which is augmented when they engage in crimes of any newline form, the ensuing complexities, the constant helplessness they face in the midst of life s trying newline circumstances, the limitations about the avenues available for their sustenance and survival, not to newline forget their families and children that more often than not tag along and many such factors. It was to newline understand these experiences of women in crime that lies at the core of the study. newline The primary mode of data collection was in-depth interviews of 20 women recidivists. This sample newline was drawn from the data collected from Mumbai City police and Railway police. In addition to newline interviews with women, discussions were held with families of women, police, prison officials, and newline social workers working in prison settings. newline The findings of the study gave a first-hand understanding of the phenomenon of recidivism among newline women offenders which is not seen as a serious problem in India. The highest involvement of women newline recidivists was found in the category of theft under sections 379, 380, and 381 of the Indian Penal newline Code. The manner in which information about women offenders and their crimes is reported in police newline records brings into question the reliability of data maintained by the police. The study also threw newline light on the modus operandi of women offenders and that various contexts like local train newline compartments, construction sites, jewelry shops, and deserted houses are hot spots of crime in the newline context of Mumbai region as far as women in crime are concerned. The factors that pushed women newline into crime largely reflect their journey from being victims to survivors to offenders in the world of newline crime. The interviews with the women clearly bring out their involvement in crime due to the newline complexity of their situations and the adverse role of the criminal justice system in their lives that newline compels them towards crime, in the face of their disadvantages and as a rebellion against these newline disadvantages. newline Key words: Recidivism, women offenders, habitual offenders, criminal justice system newline