NCJ Number
218089
Journal
Women & Criminal Justice Volume: 16 Issue: 4 Dated: 2005 Pages: 73-89
Date Published
2005
Length
17 pages
Annotation
This study examined how male and female offenders’ experiences with family violence and prior family offending related to one another.
Abstract
The results of the study suggests that the criminogenic aspects of child maltreatment, broadly defined in this context to include child abuse and exposure to substance abuse, were more marked for female offenders than for male offenders. Female offenders were more likely than male offenders to have reported experiencing each type of maltreatment (physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, drug abuse, and alcohol abuse) except for neglect. However, the relationship between abuse type and offense type was virtually nonexistent. This suggests that maltreatment does not predict a specific type of offending; rather, maltreatment may lead to a variety of types of misconduct. A large body of research supports the finding that exposure to violence and abuse early in one’s life influences adult criminality. However, very little research has examined whether female and male offenders’ histories of violence and abuse are comparable or whether abuse type related to later offending. Using three separate procedures, this study examined the role of child abuse and exposure to substance abuse in later offending among a sample of female and male offenders. References