All in the Family

Abstract

A large body of research supports the finding that exposure to violence and abuse early in one's life influences adult criminality. Very little research, however, has considered whether female and male offenders' histories of violence and abuse are comparable or whether abuse type relates to the extent of later offending. Using data culled from 559 pre-sentence investigation reports, this study examines how male and female offenders' experiences with family violence and prior family offending relate to one another. Differences between abuse type, criminality type, and extent are also considered. Results suggest subtle differences. Implications are provided.

Key Words:

• Adult criminality
• pre-sentence investigation reports
• family