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September 19, 2005
First Workshop Minutes
The theme of our first workshop on October 14, 2005 was "Thinking about Methodological Applications into Gender and Crime Studies in Japan."
Chie Michihiro (Public Policy) gave us her presentation on "Criminal Court Response to Violence against Women & Girls: A Singapore Case Study," which led us to further discussion on the subject.
Presentation:
1. Research Question
"How does the Victim-Perpetrator Relationship Matter in Criminal Court Sentencing?"
2. Method
Chie Michihiro conducted her research on the case in Singapore, where there is a strong belief in maintaining marriage. She analyzed court cases on the Straits Time (a major English newspaper in Singapore) and examined the relationship between the victim's relationship to the perpetrator and the length of sentencing.
3. Findings
"The perpetrators who victimized their former or current spouses [were] sentenced, on average, 53.4% shorter jail term, than other perpetrators." This means for the same kinds/degrees of violence against women, sentences were shorter if the perpetrator assaulted his current or former wife. Thus, the press in Singapore during 2000-2003 reported that on average perpetrators were being punished less if they had assaulted their former or current marital partners. They received, however, longer sentences when they had assaulted girls and women who were not their marital partners.
4. Question
How does this apply to Japan?
Further Questions (in discussion):
- Are the marital partners sentenced a shorter term on average than other intimate partners because the victims (who are spouses of the perpetrators) are less likely to demand for harsh punishment?
- Is there any difference between the sentences given to perpetrators of different ethnic groups?
We encourage everyone to comment on this topic or share further questions for inquiry.
The next workshop will meet on October 28th, Friday, 5:30-6:30 p.m. in 1114 Social Science Building. Masako Nakamura will present on 'War Brides' from Japan to the United States.
Posted by at September 19, 2005 11:00 PM | MEETING MINUTES