Women In Criminal Justice

The history and current status of women in non-traditional professions such as law enforcement is a topic of interest to professionals in many disciplines as well as women who wish to enter this profession. There’s much research about women in law enforcement. Most research explains the advantages and disadvantages of hiring more women on the force. The status of women on the police force is more accepted now then in the early 1920’s but still remaining a major issue amongst law enforcement agencies in many states.
To begin, women were first used in the criminal justice system in the 1800’s to deal with female prisoners. Since women were often housed in the same institutions as men they were subject to mistreatment and abuse by male guards and inmates. Thus, the first women in law enforcement were matrons in jails and prisons. Early female police officers often came from the ranks of social workers. They were located in separate departments, with separate dress, pa...