NCJ Number
219327
Journal
Canadian Journal of Criminology and Criminal Justice Volume: 49 Issue: 1 Dated: January 2007 Pages: 1-36
Date Published
January 2007
Length
36 pages
Annotation
Based on the accounts of 18 female offenders regarding their biographies, including violent events they had experienced both as victims and perpetrators, this Canadian study compared the self-reported profiles of these women with the labels of "victim," "mad," and "bad" that have been placed on female offenders, particularly violent ones, in academic and popular publications.
Abstract
In answering the question about whether they viewed themselves as violent people, the women's responses varied. In some cases, women viewed themselves essentially as victims, forced to use violence to survive under conditions not of their making or choosing. Other women identified themselves as perpetrators of violence, both within and outside intimate partner relationships. Some women identified themselves as both victims and perpetrators of violence. Understanding the complexity of women's violence requires being attentive to the multiple and overlapping identities they experience and perceive at various times in their lives. At various times and under changing conditions, they may perceive themselves as a victim, a violent person, and a bad person. They tended to resist psychological labels related to mental disorders ("mad"). These perceptions of themselves were forged within the changing conditions of their roles as wives, mothers, daughters, friends, workers, and even robbers and prisoners. When responding to a question about their wish for their futures, many wanted to stay out of trouble and be good mothers to their children. Whether or not they succeed will depend on the transformation of interactions, behaviors, and social conditions that spawned their violence. 14 notes and 74 references