As part of the lecture series “New Views, Perspectives and Research on Gender Theory”, the Study Research Group for Gender Equality and Public Policy of the Institute of Social Sciences organized the online lecture “Gender Approach To Penal Justice” on November 10, 2021. The lecture was given by Prof. Dr. Miomira Kostić, Full Professor at the Law Faculty, University of Niš.
In her lecture, Prof. Dr. Kostić presented the results of her research on the characteristics of women’s crime. Her main research question was related to the necessity of integrating gender equality and gender perspective into the justice system, as well as to the way by which the justice system can promote gender equality and integrate a gender perspective. The research findings indicate that women’s crime, when they commit property and economic criminal deeds, in most cases is closely linked to their difficult economic situation. The lecturer presented the characteristics of women’s crime which are associated with low educational and social status that diminishes their ability and realistic capacities to seek legal solutions of economic, social, or family situation in which they find themselves. They mostly commit property and economic crimes, but also murders due to long-term abuse by a family member. Thus, the lecturer underlined the significance of integration of a gender perspective in the prosecution of perpetrators of criminal acts, convicts, as well as of the gender approach to security.
Prof. Dr. Kostić emphasized the importance of restorative justice application, in terms of its standardized validity through alternative sanctions, as well as the importance of the cost of such treatment in relation to the classical retributive procedure. She explained the significance of thoughts of Nils Christie, the founder of the restorative process in Europe, and the possibility of its application in a prison, or in another institution for the execution of criminal sanctions. She presented examples of trials to women murderers and underlined the significance of the re-socialization of elderly women who have been convicted for murdering their violent husbands. She pointed out the weight of the patriarchal position of female current / former convicts who faced a social stigma that is more heavier in comparison to men’s.
The lecture was attended by twenty participants, and their questions and inputs inspired future research of this topic.
