NCJ Number
230824
Date Published
April 2010
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This brief from the New South Wales Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, examines the trends in offending by adult and juvenile females over a 10 year period.
Abstract
This study found that over the last decade, from 1990/00 to 2008/09, the number of female offenders increased by 15 percent (on average, 1.5 percent per year), whereas the number of males offenders remained stable. In addition, the study found that over the last decade, the proportion of female offenders increased 0.4 percent each year; most offenses committed by female offenders were for shoplifting, non-domestic and domestic violence assault, fraud, and drug use/possession; there was a significant increase in female offenders in 10 of the 27 offenses specified in the study; and the pattern of juvenile female offending closely followed the patterns found for adult female offending. This study examined police person of interest (POI) data from New South Wales over a 10 year period from 1999/00 to 2008/09 to determine the trends in offending by adult and juvenile females. The study examined five specific areas: 1) the change in the number of female offenders over the past decade; 2) the change in the proportion of female offenders relative to male offenders; 3) the offenses most likely to be committed by female offenders; 4) whether female participation in specific offenses changed over the past decade; and 5) whether offending among juvenile offenders had changed over the past decade. Limitations of the study are discussed. Tables, figures, and notes