Doing Justice, Doing Gender: Women in Legal and Criminal Justice Occupations.

• Jurisdiction: Australia
• Author: Prenzler, Tim
• Date: 01 August 2007

Doing Justice, Doing Gender: Women in Legal and Criminal Justice Occupations Susan Ehrlich Martin and Nancy C. Jurik (2007) Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, California, USA. 281 pp, ISBN 1-4129-2720-X or 978-1-4129-2720-8 (cloth)

The issue of gender relations within criminal justice is a fringe subject in criminology. It is nonetheless of importance for several reasons. It provides valuable case studies of rule changes, rule violations, redress and enforcement within organisations in relation to principles of equity. It also is important because criminal justice organisations are charged with protecting the community and bringing offenders to justice. The gender make-up of the system affects how the work is done, and many of the failures of the system have repeatedly been attributed to a dominant male culture. Despite growth in the number of women in the three main arms of the system, a forecast of steady growth and integration is not a certainty. The future status of women in the system remains uncertain, with significant ongoing issues of attrition, harassment and discrimination, the 'glass ceiling' effect in promotion, and work-family conflict.

The release of a second edition of Doing Justice, Doing Gender: Women in Legal and Criminal Justice Occupations is therefore a welcome addition to the growing scholarship in this field. Fully updated, the book represents a prodigious effort in bringing together decades...