Summary Of The Background And Criminal Case Of Stacey Schoeck

Introduction:

When looking at female offenders and the perceptions people form of them, all the contributing factors, such as upbringing, lifestyle, and possible biological differences and/or abnormalities must be looked at. Females have always been perceived, handled and treated differently from men. The case of Stacey Schoeck will be used to compare her experiences with other female offenders as well as the male offender population.

Stacey Schoeck’s Background and Criminal Case:

The Valentine’s Day murder of 2010 became notorious in the media when it was discovered that the 38 year old wife of Richard Schoeck, 46, had hired a hit man to kill him. Stacey Schoeck was a mother of two working as a surgical assistant at the Georgia Spine & Neurosurgery

Schoeck was perceived among people to be dangerous and unstable, with little self-control. Biology plays a major role in the perceptions of men and women. Meaning men are naturally bigger and stronger, while women are smaller and more empathetic. In class, there was discussion on empathy and altruism, and the knowledge that women are typically more capable of having these characteristics than men. Stacey Schoeck however, does not. If Schoeck were to have exhibited any level of empathy towards her husband, or the situation, she wouldn’t have acted in such a rash manner as to plan his death. Schoeck was also a considerably promiscuous woman, being on her fifth marriage, while having an affair with another man. As previously informed in class, promiscuous women were deemed as a threat to society because women should be nurturing and compassionate, as well as faithful to one man. All of this exemplifying that Stacey Schoeck does not fit the overall perception given to women by

Low self-control is a major contributor to crime mainly for the reason that people in nature are pleasure seeking. For example, Schoeck’s pleasure was knowing that her husband Richard could never touch her children again, since she believed he had molested them (Fielding, 2012). Her lack of self-control lead her to do whatever necessary to allow herself that pleasure resulting in his death.

Majority of Female Offenders:

Schoeck is similar to majority of female offenders on the grounds that females typically commit organized as well as white collar crimes. A “possible explanation of the position of women in organized crime has to do with our general fascination (Siegel, 2014, p. 62)”, meaning women are becoming more interested because of the labels and media attention it has received. Schoeck’s experiences differ from the majority on the grounds that if she hadn’t testified against her accomplice, she would have been sentenced to the death penalty, a sentence uncommon to typical women offenders.

Majority of Male