Female Delinquency: Homicide, Delinquency Transmission, Hidden Crime and Justice Interventions

Session Submission Type: Complete Thematic Panel

Abstract

This panel deals with three key neglected issues in female delinquency. First, for many policy makers and local and regional administrators involved with youth it is crucial to restrain the transmission of delinquency across generations and between siblings. This is particularly important when the transmission involves girls because delinquent girls tend to practice sex at an early age, often become mother at young age, and are more involved in childrearing of their offspring than are delinquent fathers. A second paper summarizes knowledge pertaining to plausible biological and psychological causes of female homicide offenders. The third paper examines the degree to which there are disparities between different types of girls’ self-reported delinquency and official records of offending. Each of the papers discusses the findings in terms of the implications for the justice system.

Sub Unit

• Area I. Causes of Crime and Criminal Behavior / 12. Developmental, Integrated and Life Course Perspectives

Individual Presentations

• Female Juvenile Homicide Offenders: Biological and Psychological Factors Leading to Murder - Kathleen M. Heide, University of South Florida; Eldra P. Solomon, Center for Mental Health Education, Tampa, FL

• Horizontal and Vertical Transmission of Crime in Families: How Are Women and Men Affected By Having Criminal Relatives? - Jerzy Sarnecki, Stockholm University

• What Is The Hidden Figure of Delinquency In Girls? Discrepancies Between Official Records and Self-reports. - Lia Ahonen, University of Pittsburgh; Rolf Loeber, University of Pittsburgh; Alison Hipwell, University of Pittsburgh; Stephanie D. Stepp, University of Pittsburgh

Chair

• Lia Ahonen, University of Pittsburgh

Discussant

• Rolf Loeber, University of Pittsburgh