Ragophala-Mofokeng Acta Criminologica: Southern African Journal of Criminology Special Edition 1/2014: Research and application in Criminology and Criminal Justice ___________________________________________________________________________ 53 AN EMPIRICAL INVESTIGATION OF WOMEN SHOPLIFTING IN GAUTENG NORTH Leboneng Ragophala 1 & Jacob Mofokeng 2 ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ABSTRACT Shoplifting continues to be a major source of loss in the retail industry both in South Africa and elsewhere. This article has been grouped into two distinct parts. The first part presents an overview of women’s overall participation in crime, in general. The theories for female involvement in crime, a portrait of the ‘typical’ female offender, as well as information on the types of crimes women engage in, and the level of female involvement in crime in South Africa. This background information on female offenders serves to situate and contextualise the second part of the article, which focussed specifically on women’s involvement in shoplifting is explored as well as challenges if any, raised by either the business or the police regarding the effectiveness of the South African Police Service (SAPS) as well as the business community in terms of responding to the challenges brought by the retail theft. Recommendations were also made and conclusion drawn based on the findings that were discussed. Keywords: Professional, retail, shoplifting, partnership, police, technologies, women ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ INTRODUCTION It can be argued that gender bias is still prevalent in South Africa unlike within the UK (Kennedy 2005), together with the negative media discourse surrounding women’s deviance (Silvestri & Crowther-Dowey, 2008), the rise in female imprisonment has been attributed to an increase in female criminality; specifically violence (Anon. 2009). However, on closer inspection research highlights that women are subject to a gendered CJS (Silvestri & Crowther-Dowey 2008). For example, general feminist critique suggests the CJS is “male- centric” and is directed and designed towards the experiences of men (Davies, 2011). This is supported by Medlicott (2007), who believes the treatment of women offenders continues to exist under masculine assumptions, based on male provisions; subsequently challenging the success of the prison service in particular (HM Inspectorate of Prisons, 2010). It is further argued that since the establishment of a feminist criminology which has “worked hard to expose the complexity of women’s experiences of the criminal justice system” (Silvestri & Crowther-Dowey, 2008: 33), female offenders have been the subject of a rising body of academic interest. However, Heidensohn (2003) argues several areas of criminological knowledge, and criminal justice policy, are gender-free. Alongside this, scholars have established that the disparities between the treatment of men and women within the Criminal Justice System (CJS) are not a result of sexism per se; instead research points to the subtle process of reinforcing socially constructed gender roles (Silvestri & Crowther- Dowey, 2008). Overall, it is also important to remember that whilst the discussion on discrimination at a sentencing level has yielded a substantial amount of information (Silvestri & Crowther- Dowey, 2008); Kennedy (2005) is of the view that justice is often compromised as offenders are caught in an already flawed legal process. This view is supported by Smart (1989) who argues the assumptions of equality before the law renders the topic unremunerated, while Walklate (2004) highlights the influence of factors outside of the CJS are integral to an ___________________________________________________________ 1. Masters Student. Department of Safety & Security Management. Tshwane University of Technology. Pretoria. Email: leboneng.ragophala@gmail.com. 2. Dr. Senior Lecturer. Department of Safety & Security Management. Tshwane University of Technology. Pretoria. Email: MofokengJT@tut.ac.za.