NCJ Number
197006
Journal
Women and Criminal Justice Volume: 13 Issue: 4 Dated: 2002 Pages: 27-45
Editor(s)
Donna C. Hale
Date Published
2002
Length
19 pages
Annotation
This study examined the empirical evidence of female career criminals and the ways in which gender influences habitual criminal behavior.
Abstract
The criminological profile of the career criminal is male-based for the reason that habitual criminality is much more prevalent among men than women. Past research has given more attention to the criminal behavior of males than females. Based on a handful of studies examining female offending, serious offending among women is seen as rare and female career criminals are seen as apparently nonexistent. However, there has been a significant research gap in examining habitual or career offending. This study attempted to fill this gap through applying the concept of career criminality to women and describing how this application has specific gender elements. The study consisted of using the criminal records of 500 adult offenders with a minimum of 30 arrests thereby qualifying these offenders for habitual offender status. Study findings indicated that female habitual offenders did exist. Female career offenders were found among multiple racial and ethnic groups. Female career offenders initiated their careers relatively late in life and continued for nearly 2 decades throughout middle adulthood. Additional findings included: (1) female recidivists were younger than their male criminal peers; (2) female career offenders were less migratory than men in terms of accumulating arrests in multiple jurisdictions; and (3) chronic female offenders had shorter criminal careers. Future research on career criminals needs to include females in their samples and should aid in explaining why women in this study engaged in such prolific criminal careers during their adult lives. References