Continuity or Change ? Female Crime in the 19th-Century Netherlands

Abstract

This article shows that there was long-term stability in the female share of prosecutions and convictions in Holland between 1750 and 1838. Between 1750 and 1811 women generally represented 30 to 40 percent of the prosecutions. The most obvious explanation for high female crime rates in Holland is the high level of urbanization. The relatively independent position of women caused greater risks of them becoming involved with the law. The regional data between 1811 and 1838 suggest that there were also extensive continuities in the proportion of female offenders between 1750 and 1838. The national prisons between 1839 and 1886 produce lower figures ; on average 11 percent of those sentenced to prison were female. These low figures may in part be explained by the fact that the data represented felony cases of women from rural as well as urban regions. Whereas the numbers of both male and female adult prisoners declined between 1840 and 1880, the numbers of young children rose considerably. The growing concern for criminal children resulted in higher prosecution rates for children, and this trend involved both boys and girls ; girls’ proportion in crime did not decline, nor were girls treated with more leniency by the courts.