Gender Differences in Criminality among Heroin Users

Abstract

Female crime has been explained in terms of feminist and traditional (control, cultural deviance, commitment to conventional institutions) theories. In this study, self-reported arrests were examined for 170 female and 202 male heroin users in treatment to determine if these theories differ in their capacity to account for female as opposed to male criminality. The results indicate that control theory best explains female arrests, perhaps because breakdowns in familial supervision have more devastating impact on females. On the other hand, it is conceivable that this relationship might reflect biased treatment of unsupervised females by the juvenile justice system, thus creating an association between crime and familial detachment. Cultural deviance predictors were fairly effective in explaining male arrests but had no impact on female arrests. In fact, the most criminal females were those least attached to deviant subcultures. It was argued that these results reflect the absence of a subcultural image to reinforce female crime. Finally, the analysis of feminist predictors indicates that it is the most traditional females who report the most arrests. It is suggested that the limited criminal opportunities available to deviant females and the consequent need for many to attach themselves to males in passive, dependent relationships may select for such traditionalism in female criminals.

Childhood Abuse and Mental Health Problems: Does Gender Matter?

“…Similarly, Hirschi's [58] social bonding theory holds that girls and boys experience different familial processes and develop different types of social bonds and interpersonal relationships with family members, which are very important to girls. In this context, Covington [59] argued that problematic familiar relations may negatively influence girls more than boys, and Alarid et al [60] found that a lack of parental attachment is a more significant predictor of violent crime by women than by men.…”

The Role of Parental Maltreatment and Parental Social Control on Self-Reported Violent Offending in Indonesia and the U.S.: Does Gender Make a Difference?

“…Studies have shown that youths who witness violence behave in gender-typical ways [43] where males are more likely than females to justify violent behaviors [44]. However, previous research has also shown that females tend to be more negatively affected by changes in the parent-child relationship than males [45]. Some studies have found that maltreatment increases the risk of delinquency among females but not among males [46][47][48].…”

“…In terms of maintaining gender relations, females are generally supervised more closely than males, and when parental supervision is reduced, females are influenced more negatively than males [45]. The gender of parents can also produce differential rates of parental supervision.…”

Patterns of Crime and Substance Abuse among Israeli Ex-Addict Female Inmates

“…Crimes against persons occurred least frequently. Others have found vice crimes to be more frequent than property crimes (Covington 1985). In this study, the majority (about 65%) were involved in substance abuse prior to any involvement in criminal acts.…”