Neither Angels nor Demons: Women, Crime, and Victimization

• NCJ Number: 217825
• Author(s): Kathleen J. Ferraro
• Date Published: 2006
• Length: 339 pages
• Sale Source: University Press of New England; Northeastern University Press
• Publication Format: Book (Softbound)
• Publication Type: Research Paper
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This book explores the experiences of women offenders who have been physically, sexually, and emotionally abused.

Abstract

The main argument is that a more complex and nuanced understanding of intimate partner violence will contribute to public policy that is focused on developing social conditions that promote safety and well-being for women, children, and men. The author begins the book with a discussion of the blurred boundaries between offender and victim, focusing on the complexities of domestic violence and the women who experience such abuse. The experiences of these women often fall outside the typical conceptions of domestic violence and thus do not easily fit within the categories of victim versus offender. Chapter 2 moves on to a discussion of women’s experiences with the criminal processing system. Those within the criminal justice system often have preconceived notions of “battered women” that contrast to women’s lived experiences. As a consequence, women found it difficult to convey their stories and, in fact, the author termed their interactions with those in the legal system as “mutual combat.” Chapter 3 proposes an alternative to the prevailing term of “battered woman syndrome.” The proposal defines the ways in which intimate partner abuse “destroys and reconfigures the sense of reality” held by abused women. Chapter 4 reflects on the “cycle of violence” through an exploration of women’s childhood and early adult experiences of abuse. While many women in the study had childhood experiences of violence, over half did not. Instead, these women reported isolation and despair and lacked close family relationships. Thus, the so-called “cycle of violence” is much more complex than is typically suggested. Chapter 5 focuses on women who have been charged with violent crimes against the men who had abused them while chapter 6 describes cases in which women’s crimes against others were directly related to the abuse they suffered at the hands of their intimate partners. Appendix, notes, references, index