Exploring the Criminal Behavior of Women with Psychopathy: Results from a Multicenter Study into Psychopathy and Violent Offending in Female Forensic Psychiatric Patients

Abstract

Research into the criminal behavior of women with psychopathy is scarce. The overall aim of the present study was to examine differences between the criminal behavior of women with and without psychopathy. The sample comprised 221 female forensic psychiatric patients who are or have been admitted to one of four participating forensic settings in the Netherlands between 1984 and 2012. An extensive questionnaire containing demographic, criminal, and psychiatric variables was coded, as well as the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised, several risk assessment tools, and a taxonomy of motivations (inspired by Coid, 1998). The lowered PCL-R cut-off score as applied in the Female Additional Manual was used to define women with psychopathy. It was found that women with psychopathy were younger at their first conviction and had more criminal versatility in their offense histories than women without psychopathy. With respect to the index offense it was found that women with psychopathy committed a fatal index offense less often, were more likely to have stranger victims, and committed offenses motivated by power, dominance, or personal gain (i.e., Bad motivation typology) more often than women without psychopathy. No differences were found between women with and without psychopathy with respect to type of weapon used at the index offense. Implications and suggestions for future research into psychopathy in women are discussed.

Keywords:

• psychopathy
• women
• criminal behavior
• motivation for offending

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors wish to thank Gerjonne Akkerman-Bouwsema, Yvonne Bouman, Nienke Epskamp, Loes Hagenauw, Paul ter Horst, Marike Lancel, Eva de Spa, Nienke Verstegen and all other colleagues from FPC Oldenkotte, FPC Woenselse Poort, FPK Assen and the Van der Hoeven Kliniek who contributed to this study. We would also like to thank Tonia Nicholls and two anonymous reviewers for their excellent feedback on previous versions of this manuscript.

Notes

¹ Details are available from the authors upon request.