The Impact of Feminist Pathways Research on Gender-Responsive Policy and Practice
Published online on February 27, 2014
Abstract
Feminist pathways research has influenced theoretical development by challenging the gender neutrality of mainstream explanations for offending and victimization. This approach has also influenced data collection, analytic methods, and perhaps most importantly, gender-responsive policies and practices. This review examines the pathways to crime framework as a theoretically driven, empirically rigorous method for studying female offending and victimization, and for informing gender-responsive correctional programming and treatment. After outlining initial pathways contributions, we discuss feminist scholarship driven by the pathways framework and the impact of this research. We conclude with a summary of future directions for pathways-based analyses.