Lawyers' Perceptions of Female Homicide Offenders

Abstract

The perspectives of lawyers are rare within the academic literature, particularly in regard to cases that are still on appeal within the court system, are highly publicized in the media, or involve elements of extreme violence. This exploratory research examines narratives from an overlooked group of practitioners within the criminal justice system and their perceptions of an often misunderstood or stereotyped group of offenders. Interviews were conducted with 41 lawyers from a sample of 27 offenders (including 7 partnered serial, 7 partnered single-incident, 6 female serial, and 7 female single-incident homicide offenders) in order to gather their perceptions on women's agency, media portrayal, prior history, and process through the criminal justice system. The interviews were conducted by telephone (30 total) and in person (11 total). The lawyers' perceptions help us to further understand complex issues in relation to female offenders, particularly with respect to culpability.