Female Sexual Offenders: An Overview

Abstract

In comparison to men, women commit considerably less crimes and they diverge in the paths that brought them to the attention of the criminal justice system. Women also diverge in their responses to custody and community supervision, likely due to their lower risk of reoffending and the differing nature of their risk and needs (Blanchette & Brown, 2006). In the sexual offending field, like in the general offending field, gender matters. Although in its infancy, the emerging empirical information on women who sexually offend indicate that a blanket application of research knowledge based on male sexual offenders is not a viable option. As we will see in this chapter, while men and women appear to share some characteristics, important differences in risk of recidivism and factors related to their sexually abusive behavior indicate that a gender-informed as opposed to a gender-neutral approach to the assessment and treatment of female sexual offenders is warranted. The term “gender-neutral” refers to characteristics that are linked to the criminal behavior that are equally applicable to men and women. The term “gender-informed” refers to factors unique to women offenders. This chapter provides a two-part review of the current knowledge on female sexual offenders, highlighting similarities and differences between female and male sexual offenders. The first part reviews current theoretical and empirical knowledge on female sexual offenders, including prevalence, socio-demographic features, developmental history, and offense characteristics. Typologies of female sexual offenders are also described. The second part presents recidivism rates of female sexual offenders, risk factors, and current best practices in the assessment and treatment of these women.