Characteristics of Violent Crime Committed by Female Prisoners

Abstract

This study expands limited existing knowledge of the characteristics of violent crimes for which women in state prisons are incarcerated. An analysis was conducted utilizing survey data collected from female state prisoners by the U.S. Department of Justice for the Survey of Inmates in State Correctional Facilities, 2004. The randomly selected, national sample consisted of 866 female state prisoners. Results suggest that the majority of the violent offenses occurred within the context of a relationship with the victim, most often in a domestic setting, and were influenced by the presence or absence of co-defendants. In addition, the use of weapons was infrequent and often defensive. Implications for practice in violence prevention, prison-based, and reentry services are discussed.

Characteristics and Context of Women Probationers and Parolees Who Engage in Violence

“…Other violence occurred during crimes committed to obtain valuables or money. In a study of New York City women who had committed a violent street crime, Sommers and Baskin (1993) similarly found from interviews, reviews of official criminal history records, and observations that the women’s motivations varied and included self-defense and efforts to protect public self-concepts as “tough.” Finally, a survey of 866 women incarcerated in U.S. state prisons in 2004 showed that most violent offense convictions involved harm to a relative or intimate partner, women rarely used weapons, and when they did, it was often in self-defense (Willison, 2016). The small number of studies demonstrates that research has not adequately explored the nature and range of violent actions for samples of women who are supervised in the community.…”

Şuçun Faili Olarak Kadın

“…Kadınların işlediği suçların doğasının yeterince anlaşılamaması, etkili önleme ve müdahale stratejilerinin geliştirilmesini engelleyebilmektedir (Willison, 2016). Bu kapsamda suç faili kadınları suça yönelten unsurların çok yönlü şekilde incelenmesi oldukça önemlidir (Kenevir, 2017).…”

“…Yüzyıllar boyunca gelişmiş, gelişmemiş ya da gelişmekte olan pek çok ülkenin önemli bir problem sahası olan kadın suçluluğuna yönelik olarak (Haydaroğlu, 2017) son zamanlarda küresel boyutta suç önleme ve risk değerlendirme faaliyetlerinde genel bir artış gözlemlenmektedir (Maden, 2007). Şiddet Vol: 6 Issue: 4 Autumn 2023 suçundan hüküm giyen kadınlara yönelik risk değerlendirmesi ve şiddeti önleme programları tasarlamadan önce failin hangi koşullar altında suça yöneldiğini, suç işleme örüntüsünü ve bu suçun cinsiyete dayalı benzersiz özelliklerini dikkate almak gereklidir (Willison, 2016). Bu kapsamda ceza infaz kurumlarında cinsiyet farklılıkları ışığında hizmetler planlanmalıdır (Demirbaş, 2019: 180).…”

The criminogenic profile of violent female offenders incarcerated in Western Australian prisons as per the Level of Service/Risk, Need, Responsivity (LS/RNR) and Violence Risk Scale (VRS)

“…Violent female offenders are often known to, and have a pre-existing relationship with, the victim, whether family or friend (Willison, 2016), with weapons used infrequently or as a form of defence (Bonta et al, 1995;Willison, 2016). Although many risk factors are pertinent for both males and females, the manifestation of these factors in behaviour and how they contribute to overall risk differs across gender.…”