Author: Holmes, Jessie
Title: Female Offending: Has There Been an Increase?
Summary: There is increasing speculation that females are becoming more criminal and more violent. Using police person of interest data, this brief considers trends in offending by females and juvenile females in Austraia over the 10 years to June 2009. Over this period, the number of females proceeded against by police increased by 15 percent, whereas the number of male offenders remained stable. Female offenders were most likely to shoplift, commit non-domestic and domestic violence assault, fraud, and possess/use drugs. Female participation in specific offenses changed over this time, with significantly more females being proceeded against for breaching judicial orders, committing assault, liquor offences and offensive behavior as well as maliciously damaging property. Significantly fewer females were proceeded against for prostitution offenses, robberies and theft. The number of juvenile female offenders increased by more than a third, whereas for juvenile males the increase was less than a tenth. Trends in offending by juvenile females mirrored those of all females, with the exception of shoplifting for which there was a significant rise in the number of juvenile female offenders but remained constant for female offenders in general. Notwithstanding these findings, females as well as juvenile females still continue to commit significantly fewer offenses than their male counterparts.
Details: Sydney: NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, 2010. 10p.
Source: Crime and Justice Statistics; Bureau Brief; Issue Paper No. 46
Year: 2010
Country: Australia
URL:
Shelf Number: 118578
Keywords:
Female Crime (Australia)Female Juvenile OffendersFemale Offenders |
