Dysfunctional Families: The Foundation and Upshot of Female Criminality in India

Roots of criminality lie in the dysfunctional families especially in case of women all over the world. In Indian context the break- up of the age-old institution of joint family, long lost family values, unhappy interpersonal relationships, exploitation, abusive relationships and sometimes forced involvement are the major reasons of womens engagement in crime. Though female prisoner represents only 5-6 % of total prison population but consistent increase in the crime rate among women in past few decades become alarmingly conspicuous. Women involved in criminal activities usually have history of abuse and in most of the cases they are the real victim of situational crime. Generally, women are less inclined towards crime than man and tend to commit minor crime like forgery, prostitution, drug trafficking, and burglary etc. But the consequences they face are way more terrible, not in terms of duration of sentence but the psychological and social issues they confront behind the bars and social rejection after their release. Sometimes their own families refuse to accept them and children of female prisoners become the additional victim of their mothers act. Due to absence of female specially a mother from the family because of incarceration, the family itself become dysfunctional again. At this juncture of time there is a great need to attract researchers and social workers attention towards outcomes of dysfunctional families and tackle this problem before it takes some major form. Besides there is a great need to change communitys attitude towards imprisonment so that reintegration of prisoners after completing their sentence in the family and society will be easier