Distinctive Features * Surveys the pivotal works of leading scholars in the field of criminology, from the earliest female criminologists to contemporary scholars, providing a thorough examination of women and crime from the past to the present * Pays homage to Freda Adler, whose scholarly and balanced research on female criminals lays the foundation for the discussion of the history and development of female offending * Navigates through such important criminological questions as: Why do women offend? How do their paths into crime differ from men's? Why is there a gap in crime rates between men and women? * Examines how conceptions of masculinity, often embedded in male peer groups, result in crime and in the victimization of women * Addresses how female offenders interact with and are processed by the legal system, covering the complicated relationship between gender and justice