Women and Crime in Herstory

WC Blogpost by: Herstorian of Crime Photo Credit: Christopher Campbell on Unsplash Commonly, when thinking of women in crime my mind immediately jumps to modern female victims of kidnapping, sexual violence, or homicide, but females in crime are much more than that, and the only way to fully understand the current system of females and the justice system is to study the evolution of women in crime. Hearing stories of women taking their situations into their own hands has made me realize that women in crime throughout herstory are commonly misunderstood or untold.  It is often believed that women did not have a voice of their own or did not stand up for themselves when, in reality, it is solely that women’s herstory is a topic that is often glazed over in a classic historical teaching.  In the class “Women and Crime in the Evolution of American History”, we have had the opportunity to discuss both female criminals and female victims, which are both commonly untouched topics of ...

WC Blogpost by: Celestine Mullin Learning about gender and age in today’s time is extremely relevant. Especially in the way that these two intersect and create a different experience for those involved. I feel that women still continue to struggle today as they are portrayed in many different lights. Women can hold multiple identities that contribute to her publicly perceived character. Each identity contributes to a difference in how they are regarded, treated, and judged. It has affected the way I’ve lived and grown up; and, it has affected how women have been treated in the world of justice.  One aspect of women in crime that I’m especially interested in is how the woman stereotype has influenced how women are treated as suspects of crime—and further, how race has played a part in this as well. Firstly, women have a different stereotype than men do. Women are generally seen as more docile, submissive people. Men, on the other hand, are often given much more authoritative positio...

                                                                WC Blogpost by: D. Rose * Note to the reader *: Before you begin reading this reflection, I must tell you more about my former middle and high school education. I attended an all-girls school in Los Angeles, California, for seven years. My school aimed to foster an extremely liberal environment where the main goal was to empower the next generation of female leaders. My school’s motto was “ambitious, joyful learning.” I was encouraged to explore my academic passions, challenge the books I read in class, and join or create my own clubs. My school did not offer any Advanced Placement (AP) classes so that teachers could not teach for a test but rather design their own curriculum that foster...

 WC Blogpost by: Tabitha Thompson The first two weeks of “Women and Crime In the Evolution of American History” have been absolutely eye-opening in terms of what women have been remembered, why the women committed the crimes that they did, and how the flaws in the justice system contributed to women committing crimes. All of these things are so important in understanding women and the crimes that they commit today. The most intriguing article that we have covered in class so far in my opinion has been “ Mad Enough to Kill: Enslaved Women, Murder, and Southern Courts ” by scholar Wilma King. It covers the stories of several female slaves that committed murders in Missouri in the 1800s but, the most notable were the stories of two teens, Nelly and Celia. I found this article so interesting because it touched on all three major themes that I mentioned before. Nelly was a 14-year-old girl who murdered her own child. Her master’s wife had already birthed 10 children, and so to avoid th...

                                                                                  WC Blog post by: Bree Anna “Women and Crime in the Evolution of American History.”  Just a couple months ago, as I scrolled through the course listings available for the Fall 2023 semester, this title caught my eye. Having been a true crime fan (inspired by my mom) and needing a change of pace from the chemistry, biology, and math classes that had filled my freshman and sophomore year schedules, I figured this course would be the perfect opportunity. Yet, in just my first two weeks as a student in this class, this title has gained significantly more meaning, signifying the ways both injustices in gender and race have plagued our history and impacted the world I...

   WC Blogpost by: Nina Sayers            Photo credit: Andrew Valdivia on unsplash It was my first time taking the New York City subway alone.  During the long commute from my suburban town to my first day of freshman year in Manhattan, I stood nervously shifting my feet and gripping the metal rail with white knuckles. After “watching the gap between the platform and the train” exactly as the disembodied subway voice announced, the doors closed and the train lurched forward. From the corner of my eye, I could see a man moving his hand in a repetitive and slight motion. Heeding the warnings of my older friends to avoid eye contact on the train, I kept my eyes glued to my school shoes instead. Only after the man started groaning loudly to himself while accelerating his hand movements did I realize my situation. I pulled my short uniform skirt as far down as I could and stood frozen, only moving with the train’s inertia. As much ...

 WC Blogpost by: CG1 When stereotypically thinking of the characteristics of modern femininity, traits like warmth, sensitivity, and affection may commonly top the list. But what happens when a woman starts becoming too calculative or aggressive and displays criminal behavior? Can a woman exude the traits of modern femininity and female criminality at the same time, or are the two mutually exclusive? In the episode " Try and Catch Me " of the show Columbo , the plot follows a female murder mystery writer, Abigail (as shown above), as she tries to get away with the murder of her nephew while being investigated by Detective Columbo. Abigail's persona contradicts the typical features of a murderous woman. She is an affluent, older woman who made a living off writing books and commonly wears pearls and nightgowns. Although Abigail was calculative with her murder plan and the actions to cover it up, her demeanor was not aggressive or overly intimidating. She played off her soc...

WC Blogpost by: K.U.V. To say Dr. Sowande Mustakeem's "Women and Crime" class is a must-take is an understatement. This riveting course delves into the nuances of various herstories in American history in the context of women and crime as it relates to race, ethnicity, class, and various historical eras. This discussion-based course offers an intimate environment where I can express my thoughts and dissect each passage that is assigned. I particularly enjoy how every student has a different background and subsequently comes into each class discussion with unique experiences; it makes for enthralling discussions. Conversations about crimes that have occurred in St. Louis become more tangible and meaningful when conducted with students who hail from the city.  As we delve deeper into herstories , I find myself captivated by the narratives of women who have committed crimes and those who have been victims of crimes; it intrigues me to observe the evolving discourse and perce...

    WC Blogpost by: FemaleCrimeHistorian                                                                                                       In the age of smartphones and personal computers, the ability to access records pertaining to acts of crime, criminal trials, and the actual criminals has been greatly increased. Rather than waiting around for newspaper updates or needing to physically attend a trial to remain up to date on crime news, Americans can now easily scroll through news headlines and updates on their social media timelines or even queue up the latest episode of a true crime podcast to listen to during their daily commute. With all of this crime-related informat...