Forensics -- Female Criminals Research

Forensics -- Female Criminals

Research reveals some basic commonalities and differences in female offenders vs. male offenders. Some persistent similarities point to the needed for a concerted effort to deal with such high risk factors as poverty and substance abuse. Simultaneously, the significant differences in female vs. male offenders indicate that programs should be tailored to deal with offenders based on gender.

Female offenders differ markedly from female non-offenders in that they tend to have lower social/economic/occupational status (Chesney-Lind & Pasko, 2004, p. 28), change jobs more frequently and tend to rely on public assistance. These female offenders also tend to commit crimes related to running away from their homes, prostitution (Chesney-Lind & Pasko, 2004, p. 134) and/or "commercialized vice" often connected with alcohol and/or substance abuse (Chesney-Lind & Pasko, 2004, p. 13), though females now account for a higher incidence of violent offenses than they did in the past (Cauffman, 2008, p. 120). Male offenders are also involved in alcohol and/or substance abuse offenses but also account for most other offenses, particularly violent offenses such as homicide and sexual assault (Cauffman, 2008, p. 122). There are some basic similarities between female offenders and male offenders. They are similar in that they tend to come from poorer socioeconomic backgrounds with poor parental supervision and a high reliance on public assistance (Cauffman, 2008, p. 125). Both genders tend to have abnormal brain activity and lower intellectual capabilities (Cauffman, 2008, p. 131). Suffering from a high degree of victimization in childhood and/or adolescence with which they have difficulty coping (Cauffman, 2008, p. 130), both genders tend to suffer from ADHD, impulse control, mental illness, a high drop-out rate and they tend to begin their criminal careers at the age of 15 years (Cauffman, 2008, p. 126). Finally, both genders of offenders are likelier to marry criminals or antisocial individuals than are non-offenders (Cauffman, 2008, p. 125).

Female offenders differ from male offenders in a number of striking aspects. Though both genders suffer from abnormal brain activity, female offenders tended to have developmental brain patterns with more right frontal lobe activity, similar to non-criminal males, while male offenders tended to have no differences in the activities of either brain lobe (Cauffman, 2008, p. 127). Also, while poor parenting highly influences both genders of offenders, it seems to have a more pronounced effect on female offenders than on male offenders (Cauffman, 2008, p. 128). In addition, though both genders have a high degree of victimization in childhood, females tended to be victimized more often and report being the actual victim (Chesney-Lind & Pasko, 2004, p. 25) while males tended to report witnessing the victimization of others (Cauffman, 2008, p. 130). Furthermore, criminal behavior has been more difficult to predict among female offenders at earlier ages, possibly due to societal pressures (Cauffman, 2008, p. 132). While both genders tend to begin their criminal careers at the age of 15 years, female offenders have shorter careers, ranging from 4.9 to 8 years, while male offenders tend to have careers ranging from 7.4 to 10 years (Cauffman, 2008, p. 126). Also, the marriage of female offenders to antisocial persons tends to reinforce their criminality, while males tend to decrease their criminal behavior due to familial relationships and responsibilities (Cauffman, 2008, p. 125). Racial differences make less of a difference in female offenders' behavior than it does for male offenders (Cauffman, 2008, p. 123). Also, while both genders tend to exhibit mental illnesses, female offenders tend to have