Criminal Involvement of Female Offenders

Abstract

ical characierisiics and iype of criminal involvemeni among four groups of female offenders. f i e vocabulary subiesi from ihe Wechsler Adult Inielligence Scale. Category Test, Trail Making Tesi. Taciual Performance Tesi. and Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory were adminisiered to 63 prostitutes. 64 addict-prostitutes. 69 addicis. and 66 nonaddictl nonprosiiiuie oflenders. No reliable relationships were found between abiliiy siruciure or personality traits and iype of criminal activity. Like male addicts. however, female addicts were found to experience greater sociopaihy andpsychologicaldiscomfort than were nonoddict female oflenders.he past t women decade has seen a dramatic growth in the number of involved in crime and addiction. The rate of increase in narcotic drug law violations (Uniform Crime Reports, 1976) was 515%, and for females under 18 the rate increased 634.5%. Similarly, the percentage of women involved in property crime was 147.1% and violent crime increased 92.9%. (These last figures include forcible rape, with which females cannot be charged.)

Anger Levels in the Inmate Population

“…Female inmates achieved higher scores among those convicted of person crimes and drug crimes. The scores for the females convicted of drug crimes were consistent with the results reported by Townes, James, and Martin (1981), where drug offenders were found to have elevated Hs (hostility) scales on the MMPI. The higher scores for females convicted of person crimes and for males convicted of property crimes suggests that high anger levels may open the door to different criminal acts in males and females.…”