Frances Heidensohn, ed. Gender and Justice: New Concepts and Approaches. Portland, OR: Willan Publishing, 2006.
1 Since the 1970s, feminists have engaged in criminological discussions, working to increase the visibility of women's issues within academic discourse. In the years following, feminist criminology has developed a voice of its own. Gender and Justice: New Concepts and Approaches, explores the ways in which feminist criminology has grown and is transforming in the face of cultural, political, and societal changes of the twenty-first century.
2 Frances Heidensohn, the editor of Gender and Justice, is a well-known feminist criminologist. Her work, since the late 1960s, has focused upon the complex intersection of gender and crime. In exploring the contemporary shifts within feminist criminology, Gender and Justice represents an extension of Heidensohn's academic project.
3 The text highlights the work of several authors from diverse backgrounds such as sociology, criminology, psychology, and law. Many of these researchers are currently working in the UK, and as a result much of the work represented in this text is regionally situated there. Heidensohn notes that many of the writers are young and developing academics. As such, the text illustrates current and developing trends in feminist criminology, through not only its coverage of developing substantive areas, but also by representing new voices within the field.
4 Gender and Justice might appeal to those working in any area of feminist criminology. The breadth of substantive topics renders this book an excellent resource for specific research areas, or for exploring broader, contemporary trends within feminist criminology. The substantial coverage of developing feminist methodologies and theories in the book makes a significant contribution to the more general category of feminist academic discourse.
5 Much of the work represented in Gender and Justice builds on previous feminist criminological work, expanding on substantive areas of inquiry and methodological approaches. Many articles explore developing areas within the field, such as Rachel Condry's investigation of female relatives of serious offenders and Kate Steward's examination of the impact of gender in remand decision-making. The data are all recent and situated within the political and cultural climates of the twenty-first century.