Crime and Punishment

This is a very exciting topic to write a dissertation on, you could take a look into many different areas: If you are stuck on where to begin, take a look at our recommendations below:

Example crime and punishment dissertation topic 1:

Acts of violence committed by teenage girls: A response to social frustration, a form of gender equality, or a consequence of increased substance abuse?

In a number of Western countries, such as the US, Britain and Australia, acts of violence committed by teenage girls are increasing. Examples such as that of eighteen-year old Victoria Osoteku, who was convicted of manslaughter and conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm after the gang murder of a fifteen-year old boy in Victoria Station in March 2010, have shocked society. This dissertation explores the reasons for girls becoming more involved in gang violence, violent bullying, murder and robbery; the paper offers an extensive literature review of the three countries stated and first determines how significant the rise in activity is, or whether differences in reporting are leading to a change in public perception. Secondly, the thesis examines the police and court statements of numerous teenage girls charged with violent crime and seeks to determine whether the girls themselves understand the motivation for their crimes.

Suggested initial topic reading:

• Alder, C. and Worrall, A. (eds) (2004). Girls’ violence: Myths and realities. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.
• Fleisher, M.S. and Krienert, J.L. (2004). ‘Life‐course events, social networks, and the emergence of violence among female gang members’, Journal of Community Psychology, Vol. 32(5), pp. 607-622.
• Sondheimer, D.L. (2001). ‘Young female offenders: Increasingly visible yet poorly understood’, Gender Issues, Vol. 19(1), pp. 79-90.