APPEARANCE AND DELINQUENCY - A RESEARCH NOTE

Culturally derived standards of attractiveness are used in determining the treatment women receive in various aspects of their lives, includ ing the criminal justice system. Examination of the files from the Cal ifornia Youth Authority from the 1960s indicated that male intake pers onnel often commented on the physical attributes of the female wards. This was most likely to occur when the ward had at least one charge of ''immorality'' on her record. When more recent files were examined, n otations on the physical attractiveness were least likely to occur whe n the wards had been committed to the institution for serious violatio ns.