The Life Course of Female Homicide Offenders

• In Event: Life Course Implications of Violent Offending and Victimization

Abstract

Although research on female offending has grown in the past few decades, the criminal justice system has remained inadequate in addressing and responding to the needs of women. Researchers have just begun to study the lives of women independently of men to uncover the similarities, and more importantly, differences. The limited research that is available on the life histories of female offenders, particularly female homicide offenders, shows there are events and experiences that play a significant role in the lives of these women. To increase knowledge on the individual factors that lead to female offending, traditional feminist perspectives were incorporated with life course perspectives. In addition to integrating the theories, a new element was added to the understanding of turning points: the individual’s perspective in the analysis of their lives to show that context is fundamental to research in life course criminology. Results show both individual and group differences for the women in this study. Additionally, the data identified life events and turning points specific to the lives of women and validated the necessary incorporation of perception and attribution to future research with life course perspective.

Author

• Alesa R. Liles, Georgia College & State University