Violent Female Offending: An Exploration of Repeat and One-Time Offending

Abstract

There has been an increased focus on understanding the factors that may be predictive of violent recidivism among female offenders. Previous research has indicated that repeat and one-time violent female offenders have very different profiles. All female prisoners incarcerated for a violent offense in Scotland over a two-month period (n = 87) were compared on a range of demographic, offending, behavioral and mental health variables. Multivariate regression analysis revealed a lack of ‘spousal’ relationships and early onset of violent offending were significant predictor variables that distinguished the recidivist subgroup (explaining 68.2% of variance). Difficulties with intimate relationships are, however, noted for both subgroups.

Keywords:

• female
• offending
• violence
• recidivism
• repeat offenders
• one-time offenders
• predictors
• correlates
• relationships

Acknowledgments

This research would not have been possible without the support of Kirsty Halliday, Head of Psychology, HMP & YOI Cornton Vale, Scottish Prison Service.