Gender and Serious Fraud in Australia and New Zealand

Résumé du livre

Fraud is a significant component of female offending, and examining the dynamics underlying serious fraud is important if we are to understand the broader issues of gender difference in patterns of offending and imprisonment. Based on a study of a sample of 'serious fraud' cases dealt with in Australian and New Zealand higher criminal courts during 1998 and 1999, this paper examines gender differences in the commission of serious fraud offences in Australia and New Zealand and how offenders' experiences within the criminal justice system may differ depending upon their sex. The paper presents findings on the characteristics of offences and offenders; motivations, rationalisations and mitigating factors; granting of bail by gender; sentence types by gender; and period of custodial sentences by gender. The paper demonstrates that, contrary to the previous welfarist and needs-focused explanations of fraud, women also are involved in more sophisticated and planned cases of serious fraud.