NCJ Number
188041
Journal
The Prison Journal Volume: 81 Issue: 1 Dated: March 2001 Pages: 73-86
Editor(s)
Janice Joseph
Date Published
March 2001
Length
14 pages
Annotation
This article offers a description of female inmates incarcerated at a California prison for the death of their male abusers and then offers a comparison of them to a statewide sample of general population women inmates.
Abstract
California is known to have the largest number of incarcerated women and the world’s largest women’s prisons. In addition, current estimates of women in the U.S. prisons for the death of abusers range from 800 to 2,000. This study’s sample consisted of 42 women participating in in-depth interviews and responding to survey and open-ended questions. The majority of study participants were members of an inmate-led support group for battered women (Convicted Women Against Abuse). The 42 participants provided sufficient information to compare them with a statewide profile of California’s women prisoners with information ranging from demographics to specific characteristics. The study showed that women convicted of using lethal violence against their abusive partners differ from the broader population on key demographic markers. Women in this homicide group are more often white, more often older, have more education beyond high school, and are unlikely to have been on public assistance. Family members of battered women who kill are less likely to have been arrested. Women in the study who report substance abuse problems prior to incarceration are more likely to have abused prescription drugs and less likely to have abused illegal drugs, a pattern opposite the State profile. In childhood and adulthood, women in the homicide group suffered significantly more physical, emotional, and sexual abuse. The most common prior arrest reported by the homicide group was for motor vehicle violations. Based on the information reported by participants in this study, prosecutors, judges, and juries show little sympathy or lenience toward battered women who kill their abusers, showing the possibility of a systematic criminal justice bias against battered women who kill. In addition, women in this study seem to be punished more harshly for killing a white male than a man of color. The study suggests that differential gender role expectations based on a woman’s race or ethnicity may provide an additional explanation. References