Gender, Co-Offending, and Recidivism among a Sample of Robbery and Burglary Offenders

Abstract

This study examines whether several aspects of co-offending are related to recidivism, and whether those relationships are gendered. A sample of 400 people (200 men and 200 women) released from prison after serving sentences for burglary or robbery is used to answer these questions. Results of Cox regression models showed risk of rearrest was lower for those who co-offended, those with more co-offenders, and those who co-offended with romantic partners or family members, while risk of rearrest was higher among those with leadership roles in the offense. However, gender-specific analyses revealed these relationships were only observed among women. The results point to the importance of gender in understanding recidivism and provide insights into effective correctional programming for women.

A proven reoffending study of individuals managed under the multi-agency public protection arrangements (MAPPA) in England and Wales

“…Here, it has specifically been debated whether risk factors for reoffending are gender-neutral or gender-specific. Those endorsing a gender-neutral approach argue that the same risk factors and domains predict recidivism for males and females (for a meta-analysis, see Scott and Brown, 2018 ; see also Rettinger and Andrews, 2010 ), whilst those supporting a gender-specific approach claim that there is evidence for gender differences between predictors of recidivism (for a meta-analysis, see Collins, 2010 ; see also Benda, 2005 ; Du et al, 2013 ; Conrad et al, 2014 ; Jara et al, 2016 ; Miller et al, 2019 ; Robertson et al, 2019 ; Comartin et al, 2021 ; McNeeley, 2021 ; Narvey et al, 2023 ). Given how salient gender differences in recidivism are, as demonstrated both by previous research and our findings, it is vital that the underlying mechanisms and the differing impact of certain risk factors are investigated further.…”