Women and Violent Crime in Suriname (From Crime and Punishment in the Caribbean, P 124-140, 1980, Rosemary Brana-Shute and Gary Brana-Shute, ed. - See NCJ-77904)

• NCJ Number: 77914
• Author(s): J M M Binda
• Date Published: 1980
• Length: 17 pages
• Sale Source: University Press of Florida
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Data on murders committed by females in Suriname are presented.

Abstract

Fifteen homicide cases involving female assailants are described in detail. They are the known cases in which females were convicted of homicide in Suriname between 1969 and 1978. In 83.3 percent of the killings, the victim had a family relationship with the murderer. In one-third of the cases, the victim was the offender's husband or a man with whom she had been living. An offender's child was the victim in 41.7 percent of the cases. In 58.3 percent of the cases, the murderer used a knife or other household implement to do the killing. In 41.7 percent of the cases, the victim provoked the homicide. In such cases, the offender claimed to have acted in anger or self-defense. In two-thirds of the cases, the victims were not able to defend themselves, they were either asleep, off-guard, or intoxicated. The data suggest that pressures derived from interactions with husbands and children heavily contribute to homicides by females. Almost all of the offenders were from the lower socioeconomic class. This should be considered a pilot study, which does not make-far-reaching or final conclusions. The findings are compared with other similar studies. Tabular data and 14 notes are provided. (Author summary modified)