NCJ Number
122448
Date Published
1987
Length
3 pages
Annotation
Nineteen Canadian women convicted of armed robbery, manslaughter, attempted murder, and kidnapping were interviewed to determine their backgrounds in the areas of family, education, friends, jobs, and delinquency.
Abstract
Most came from large families with four or more children. Some had only one parent, and others had stepmothers or stepfathers; a few had incestuous fathers. The median family income was lower middle class, but the extremes were from very rich to very poor. The father image held by most was authoritative, critical, and brutal in some cases. The mother was typically viewed as a warm, affectionate, weak, dependent victim. Even for the few women who had no strong negative image of their parents, all felt misunderstood by their parents. All complained of being confined and forced to do things against their wills. Eight of the women were runaways. The majority were school dropouts. Only one made it to grade 12. Most depended on drug sales, prostitution, shoplifting, and other deviant pursuits for their income. Many had a serious problem with drugs or alcohol by adulthood, coupled with various health problems.