Violent and non-violent convicted women offenders in Fife: an analysis of offending patterns, criminogenic need and effective service provision
Abstract
This research emerged out of an idea which originated in an earlier MSc dissertation,
in which I had explored the differences between male and female offenders (Pullar,
2000). Here I discovered that a substantial number of women had been found guilty
of offences that were violent in nature. This finding was backed up by my own recent
practice experience relating to women involved in the probation services. What I
began to suspect was that women offenders, contrary to conventional assumptions
operating within criminal justice social work services, were not an homogeneous
group. On the contrary, I began to consider whether there were identifiable
differences between women who had been convicted of offences involving violence
and those who had been convicted of non-violent offences.
This observation led me to turn to some of the more recent research on women
offenders, some of which, (e.g. Loucks and Zamble, 2001), suggested that in
practice, women offenders display significantly different offending patterns in terms
of their pathways into offending, their offending behaviour and the factors that
sustain that behaviour. It is also suggested that women w are convicted of violent
offences display behaviour that is very similar to that of male offenders.
The target group for my own research was all women who had appeared in court and
had had a social enquiry report prepared about them and were living in Fife within
the financial year April 2003 to March 2004. This time-scale allowed verification of
the quantitative data collected, by comparison with figures submitted by Fife Council
Criminal Justice Service to the Audit Commission for Scotland. A population of
women offenders was considered in this year and 200 separate cases were included.
In addition to the quantitative data collected, in-depth qualitative interviews were
conducted with 21 women, all of whom were subject to statutory supervision. Both
parts of the data collection were completed by August 2004.
In order that the quantitative data could be collected in a systematic fashion, the
Level of Service Inventory (Revised), or L.S.I.-R., was used to collect information
about the target group. Furthermore, two additional parameters were added to this
inventory, both of which were factors that had been identified previously by
researchers as being associated with offending behaviour in women. These were
firstly, experiences of childhood abuse and neglect, and secondly, having a male
partner who was involved in criminal activity. The differences between the two
groups of women offenders were analysed for statistical significance, using the Excel
worksheet package.
The L.S.I.-R. was also used in helping to construct a framework for the collection of
the qualitative data. The interview schedule for the semi-structured interviews with
women probationers was devised to reflect the areas of criminogenic need identified
as relevant both by the L.S.I.-R. and by researchers in the field of women offenders
(e.g. Carlen, 1988). Once completed, the interviews were transcribed, coded and
analysed, with the help of the NUD*IST qualitative data analysis computer package.
The research concludes that marked differences were found between women
offenders convicted of violent offences and those convicted of offences which did not involve violence. Strong evidence was gathered regarding differences in the ways
that the women had become involved in offending and some of the elements that
sustained that behaviour, notably substance abuse. There was also some indication
that life-course experiences were particularly significant for the group of women who
had been convicted of violent offences. The thesis concludes that, in view of the
differences, these groups require different kinds of social work service provision.