Female Homicide Offenders Research Articles

Gender differences in homicide offenders' criminal career, substance abuse and mental health care. A nationwide register‐based study of Finnish homicide offenders 1995–2004

It is generally considered that women who kill are more likely to have a psychiatric disorder than their male counterparts, but as a relatively small group, women are much less often studied than men in this context. To explore gender differences in the psychosocial history of homicide offenders. In this nationwide register-based study, data were extracted from the forensic psychiatric examination and crime reports of all 91 women prosecuted for homicide in Finland between 1995 and 2004 and from those of the next adjacent man convicted of a separate homicide (n = 91). Both female and male homicide offenders had a troubled childhood, but more women had witnessed or experienced family violence; more women had failed to complete their primary education. Men, however, were more likely to have had an offending history. Although there were no differences between the men and women in the frequencies of psychiatric diagnoses or of substance abuse, the women had more often received prior mental health treatment. The women were also more likely to have had a history of suicidal behaviour. Both female and male homicide offenders are a troubled group of people, with slightly different criminal careers. Many use mental health services and therefore prevention could be improved. The suggestion of a special sub-group of women characterised by early educational and behavioural difficulties needs replication, as it may have implications for service development.

Psychopathy and gender differences in childhood psychosocial characteristics in homicide offenders – a nationwide register-based study

Research on childhood psychosocial characteristics with regard to psychopathy in homicide offenders is lacking. The current study focused on gender differences in the association of childhood victimisation, adverse family factors and parental characteristics, and psychopathy. Forensic psychiatric examination reports of all female offenders (n = 102), subjected to forensic examination and convicted of homicide in 1993–2005 and corresponding male offenders (n = 463) in 1995–2004 were retrospectively analysed and assessed for childhood psychosocial characteristics and psychopathy using The Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R). The findings indicated that adverse childhood psychosocial characteristics increase the risk of psychopathy in both female and male homicide offenders. Although significant gender differences in relation to the total PCL-R scores were found only in childhood sexual abuse, differences emerged in the four factors. In conclusion, traumatic experiences are related to psychopathy in both female and male offenders and the association may, contrary to prior research, be even stronger in female than in male homicide offenders.

A study of psychotic disorders among female homicide offenders

Although a considerable body of evidence has now accumulated about the link between psychotic illness and violent behaviour, fewer studies address this association in women. This data linkage study examined an entire population of female homicide offenders (N=55) in Victoria, Australia, over an eight-year period. Offence variables such as prior offending history and motivation for the offence were established by using police databases. The data were subsequently linked to a state-wide public mental health database and histories of prior mental health contact and relevant diagnoses, particularly psychosis, were obtained. Findings were compared to a comparison group from the general population. Of the 55 offenders, 11 (20%) had been diagnosed with a psychotic illness, nine prior to the offence and two after (nine (16%) with schizophrenia). The chance of finding psychosis among female homicide offenders was 20.77 times higher than among comparisons, while for schizophrenia the odds ratio was 43.17. Most of the mentally ill homicide offenders had a relatively long prior history of mental illness. The prevalence of known substance abuse did not differ for female homicide offenders with or without a psychotic illness but was higher than for controls.

Examination of psychopathy in female homicide offenders — Confirmatory factor analysis of the PCL-R

The construct of psychopathy is essential in explaining criminal behavior, but unfortunately the empirical research on psychopathy in women has been inconsistent. In this study the underlying structure of psychopathy in women was examined by testing the two-factor model by Hare (2003) and the three-factor solution by Cooke and Michie (2001) using confirmatory factor analysis. We replicated the study by Warren et al. (2003) using a nationwide sample of 97 female homicide offenders in order to facilitate the comparison of results. The prevalence of psychopathy in the present study was 9.3% with a cut-off of ≥ 30 and 21.6% with a cut-off of ≥ 25. The best fit for the data out of the tested models was the three-factor model with six testlets. The two-factor model proved to be too simple a model for the female homicide data. The findings regarding comorbidity of psychopathy with personality disorders show that the concept of psychopathy includes diagnostic criteria of several personality disorders, but further research is needed to establish a possible superordinate dimension. Further research on the PCL-R and putative gender differences in the expression of psychopathy in women and men as well as on the putative impact of cultural differences on the instrument is clearly needed.

An Examination of the Covariates of Female Homicide Victimization and Offending

This study examines and compares the covariates of female homicide offending and victimization in Indianapolis, Indiana, and Newark, New Jersey. Four research questions are examined: (a) What individual and structural factors differentiate female and male victimization? (b) Are there individual and structural factors that differentiate female and male offending? (c) Do the covariates of female involvement in lethal acts differ by location as compared to male offending and victimization? and (d) Do the covariates of female offending and victimization differ? Similar to previous research, the findings suggest that female homicide offending and victimization have similar covariates, although some distinct patterns emerged pertaining to the social structural covariates of offending and victimization. Specifically, homicides involving female actors were more likely to occur in Indianapolis than in Newark. The implications of these findings for policy and research are discussed.

Female Serial Murderers: Directions for Future Research on a Hidden Population

This comprehensive overview on a sample of 65 cases (134 total offenders, including some partnered teams of more than 2 offenders) provides information on female serial murderers who either work in a mixed-sex offending group or alone. These female serial homicide offenders have a distinct set of offender-victim characteristics, including specific victim preferences, methods, and motivations: Partnered serial homicide offenders are more likely to target adult strangers and dispatch them using a combination of methods, whereas solo female serial murderers are most likely to target adult family members and murder them with poison. These patterns have the potential to add to our understanding of the possible similarities and differences of serial homicide cases by building on established offender characteristics. Convictions and sentences for the offenders are included and areas of future research and implications for treatment with this sample are also explored.

Structural correlates of female homicide: A cross-national analysis

The present study went beyond previous cross-national homicide research, which has largely focused on combined (male and female) rates of homicide offending, by using gender-disaggregated homicide arrest figures. The study included controls for the clearance rate and the percentage of homicides that were attempts, and included data for forty-eight countries across multiple levels of development. The author compared the effects of development/modernization and opportunity on female homicide rates to their effects on male homicide rates. Results indicated that, overall, structural predictors had very similar effects on male and female homicide rates. Both rates were lower in countries with a higher gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, and neither male nor female homicide rates were related to urbanization. Countries with a higher number of people per household had a lower rate of both male and female homicide offending; however, this relationship only held when percent young was excluded from the model.

Gender differences in Finnish homicide offence characteristics

Approximately 10% of the homicides in Finland are committed by females. This study was designed to compare offence circumstances and crime scene behaviour among female and male homicide offenders. The forensic examination reports and crime reports of all female offenders prosecuted for a homicide between 1995 and 2004 were collected and content analysed ( n = 91). A sample of male offenders was selected for a comparison group. In addition to several bivariate analyses, two multidimensional scaling analyses were conducted to identify the underlying structure of the offence characteristics-related variables in male and female offenders. The results showed that family members were the victims of female offenders more frequently than of male offenders. Child victims were almost always killed by females. No significant difference emerged between the gender groups in the proportion of victims being former intimate partners. The results also showed that different offence characteristics relate to offender gender and type of victim. In male offenders, covering the body relates to moving and hiding an acquaintance victim's body, while in females it relates to emotional detachment and family member victim. For females, post-offence behaviours that relate to seek for help and regret were more frequent than for males. There were only marginal differences in the use of violence between females and males.

Comparing Male and Female Juveniles Charged With Homicide

This study examines a sample of 136 male and female juveniles charged with attempted homicide or homicide. The purpose of this study is to explore the differences between nondirect file male and female juvenile homicide offenders regarding individual, family, and crime circumstances. Findings suggest that compared to male juvenile offenders, female juvenile homicide offenders have higher rates of reported childhood abuse, more serious substance abuse, and mental health problems including suicidal ideations, depression, anxiety, anger, and irritability. Male juvenile homicide offenders reported higher rates of substance use than their female counterparts but the females had more serious substance abuse problems. Female juveniles were found to more often kill a person known to them and male homicide offenders were found to more often kill a stranger. These findings suggest strongly that male and female juvenile homicide offenders are dissimilar and require unique assessment and treatment.

Exploring the Difference Between Male and Female Intimate Partner Homicides

This research examines the role of situational factors in differentiating between male- and female-perpetrated intimate partner homicide. Applying concepts from Luckenbill’s theory of homicide as a situated transaction, an intimate partner homicide is seen as an amorphous event where the role of offender and victim emerge during the transaction. When adopting this framework, it is possible to treat the sex of the offender as a dependent variable and examine situational factors that may differentiate between male and female intimate partner homicide offenders. The data used in this analysis come from the lethal sample of the Chicago Women’s Health Risk Study, 1995 to 1998. These data consist of records for 85 heterosexual intimate homicide incidents that occurred in Chicago in 1995 and 1996. Logistic regression analyses indicate that the presence of a prehomicide injury and whether the offender used a knife differentiate between male and female offenders. Implications for future research are discussed.

Gender-Specific Homicide Offending in Rural Areas

This analysis departs from prior macro-level homicide research by focusing on genderspecific homicide rates in rural areas, a completely neglected topic. Drawing on the resource deprivation and gender inequality perspectives, the authors analyze genderd is aggregated homicide offending rates in 1,678 rural counties. Negative binomial regression models provide evidence of the following: Gender-specific measures of unemployment and poverty and a measure of female-headed households exhibit no relationship with female homicide offending, whereas all three measures are associated with elevated levels of male homicide offending. Further, measures of both absolute and relative gender inequality have no association with female or male homicide offending in the rural context. Overall, female homicide offending in rural areas is strongly driven by levels of male offending, which are explained by many of the same factors typically cited in the literature on urban crime.

Women as the Aggressors in Intimate Partner Homicide in Houston, 1980s to 1990s

Objective: The purpose of this study was to inform the ongoing quest for efficacious treatment of domestically violent women by (a) describing their representation in cases of intimate partner homicide over the period of 1985-1999 in Houston, Texas, and (b) by utilizing a measure known as the spousal sex ratio of killing (SROK), determining variation in this female offending by race/ethnicity and whether the relationship was registered or defacto. Method: Secondary data from the Houston police department homicide division murder logs and the U.S. Bureau of the Census were analyzed to determine the incidence and proportion of women's perpetration of intimate partner homicide. Results: Throughout the fifteen-year period of this study, women were over 40 percent of the offenders in lethal domestic assaults. Both victims and offenders in these intimate partner incidents were disproportionately Black. When comparing the sex ratios of killing by racial/ethnic subgroups, Black women were equally (or more) likely than Black men to be the perpetrators of intimate domestic homicide. Among non-Hispanic Whites (including Asians, others), there were 63 female intimate partner homicide offenders for every 100 male offenders. Within the small number of cases involving Hispanic couples, women were much more likely to be the aggressors in intimate partner homicide in the latter time period of this investigation. For both Blacks and Whites women were more likely to be the perpetrators in non-marital dyads. Conclusion: Implications of these findings for criminal justice and social service practitioners are discussed.

Risk of repeat offending among violent female offenders with psychotic and personality disorders.

The aim of this study was to examine the rate of criminal recidivism among female homicide offenders evaluated by forensic psychiatrists, to compare this rate with that of other violent female offenders, and to analyze the explanatory variables of recidivism. This was a retrospective study of all women (N=132) sent for forensic psychiatric examination after being convicted of homicide or attempted homicide in Finland during 1982-1992; subjects were followed up until mid-1999. Data were collected from the national crime register, the prisoner record, and Statistics Finland. The authors compared the rate of violent repeat offending in this group with that of other violent women and analyzed the explanatory variables of recidivism. During the follow-up period, 23% of the study group committed a repeat offense, 15% of which were violent and 3% of which were homicides. Almost half of all repeat offenses occurred within the first 2 years after the index offense. There was no statistically significant difference in violent recidivism between the study group and other violent female offenders. Of those who committed repeat offenses, 81% were diagnosed with a personality disorder, and 10% were diagnosed with psychosis. Criminality prior to the index event, alcohol or drug dependency, and young age significantly raised the risk and rapidity of further offenses. The risk of recidivism was high in this study group yet was similar to that of other violent female offenders. The risk was high very early after release. It seems that women and men who are violent and have personality disorders are comparable in their risk of recidivism.

Female homicide offenders have greatly increased mortality from unnatural deaths

The mortality of female homicidal offenders has scarcely been studied. Our aim was to examine the mortality of homicidal women in Finland using a representative nation-wide material. The data consisted of all 132 women who underwent forensic psychiatric examinations after committing homicide or attempted homicide in 1982–1992. We analysed their rate and cause of death during follow-up using standardised mortality ratios (SMRs) and the official classification of death. The mean follow-up time for dead subjects was 7 years (S.D. 4), and for the rest 11 years (S.D. 3). There were 22 observed deaths, the expected value being 1.3 (SMR 17.4). The SMR for unnatural deaths was 226 and for suicides 425. The SMRs for women below 40 years were over 220. In conclusion, homicidal women have an over 200-fold risk of unnatural death, rising to over 400-fold for suicide. This should be taken into consideration in planning discharge programmes for homicidal offenders.

Female homicide offenders in India1

The study explores the patterns and causes of female homicide offending in domestic versus nondomestic situations by incarcerated women in India, analyzes circumstances behind such crimes, and compares them against cross‐national and U.S.‐based perspectives. In‐depth interviews were conducted with 74 female murderers serving life sentences in two state correctional institutions in one of the southern states of India. The results show that many of the domestic murders were committed in order to end cycles of domestic abuse, while a majority of nondomestic murders were committed with family members or accomplices in support of family unity. In either case, these murders reflect the subordinate social position of women in India. The patterns and causes found in this study were similar to those in many cross‐national studies on homicides by females. Recommendations include changing the social and economic status of women, as well as the legal recognition of battered women syndrome as a defense.

Finnish female homicide offenders 1982–92

Female homicide has been associated with several psychiatric disorders. This distinct field seems to be in need of more research, and therefore we wanted to explore the homicidal women of Finland. We studied written reports of forensic psychiatric evaluations of female offenders committing homicide or attempted homicide during the years 1982–92. Of the investigated women, 28.0% were diagnosed with a psychotic illness, 43.9% with alcoholism and 72.0% with a personality disorder. Comorbidity was common. Only 38.6% of the studied women had a single diagnosis. Those diagnosed as psychotic were not considered legally responsible for their acts. Most offenders had had previous psychiatric care. All the women committing neonaticidc were diagnosed with a personality disorder and none was deemed fully responsible for her act. Further analyses with a new study design might elucidate the characteristic homicidal woman.

Alcohol-Related Homicides Committed by Women

In this paper we use data derived from interviews with female homicide offenders either incarcerated or on parole in New York to examine those cases (N=35) that the respondents believed were related to their use of alcohol at the time of the homicide. We found four basic types of these homicides based on victim-offender relationships and the circumstances of the incidents. Women who committed each type of alcohol-related homicide reported a variety of motives for committing these acts. We also found that there were similarities and differences between the types, not only in terms of the kinds of motives reported but also in terms of the extent to which planning was involved. Likewise, there were similarities and differences between the different types of homicides regarding the type and amount of alcohol and other drugs used by respondents on the day of the incident, and regarding respondents' perceptions of the alcohol-relatedness of the events. The implications of our findings are discussed.

Female murderers in a southern city, 1975–1992

A study of a population of 36 females arrested for homicide in a southern, nonurban city from 1975 to 1992 was conducted using both qualitative and quantitative data. The study explored the demographic, social, legal, and offense characteristics of female homicide offenders as well as events leading to the murder. The profile of female homicide offenders in a southern, non-urban setting that emerged from this study is supportive of earlier studies focusing on female homicide offenders in large urban areas.

Drugs and homicide by women.

In this paper we use data derived from interviews with 215 female homicide offenders incarcerated or on parole in New York to examine their drug use prior to and at the time of the homicide, their victims' drug use, and their perceptions as to the drug-relatedness of the homicides. We found that about 7 out of 10 respondents had been regular users of some drug at some point in their lives prior to their incarceration, while over half had been addicted to a substance. Over one-third of the respondents who were present at the scene were "high" on a drug at the time, while about half of the victims of these homicides used drugs before the homicide. Almost two-thirds of the homicides committed by respondents who were present at the scene were perceived to be drug-related. Alcohol, crack, and powdered cocaine were the drugs most likely to be related to these homicides. The implications of our findings are discussed.

Mental disorders and homicidal behavior in female subjects.

Although violent behavior is one of the most important factors that have a detrimental effect on quality of life, there are very few quantitative epidemiological studies published on this issue. In particular, female homicidal behavior has remained poorly studied. This study reveals the association between some specific DSM-III-R disorders and female homicidal behavior. The author reviewed forensic psychiatric examination of 127 female homicide offenders in Finland over a 13-year period. Female homicide offenders had about a 10-fold higher odds ratio than the general female population for having schizophrenia or a personality disorder. The disorders with the most substantially higher odds ratios were alcohol abuse/dependence and antisocial personality disorder. Mental disorders appear to have a statistical relationship with homicidal behavior in countries with relatively low crime rates. On the basis of the data, there may be special subgroups of women among whom the risk of homicidal behavior is very high.