Perceptions of Female Offenders, Vol. 1 : How Stereotypes and Social Norms Affect Criminal Justice Responses

This first volume of the second edition builds on the many developments made to the study of female offenders, compiling new insights and evidence-based research. With new cases such as Amber Heard and Johnny Depp, it further explores topics including the role of social media in how female offenders are portrayed, juvenile offenders, female aggression in young adults, female perpetrators of domestic violence and more. This book begins with new research on gender stereotypes, disruptive behavior, female aggression, the impact of American media and culture, and gender stereotypes and how they relate to female offending. It examines more diverse topics to include greater intersectionality of female perpetrators in terms of age, race, ethnicity, and sexual identity, and country. Additionally, it provides a comprehensive evidence-based review of the research that is valuable to researchers, practitioners, and advocates interested in equality in the criminal justice system. ​ Preface Volume 1 Contents Part I: Aggression in Adolescence and Young Adults and Female Offenders of Intimate Partner Violence Chapter 1: Introduction. Moving Beyond Perceptions: Unveiling the Complexities of Female Offenders in a Rapidly Changing World Introduction From Victimization to Perpetration: Perpetuating Social Norms and Enduring Bias Special Considerations: LGBTQ+ Victims and Offenders Legal Restrictions and the Policing of Bodily Autonomy The Purpose of This Book The Organization of Chapters References Chapter 2: Gendered Surveillance: A Critical Analysis of Female Legal System Actors’ Attributions About Girls’ Behaviors Introduction Social Problem Definition Methods Results Theme 1: Escalation and Relabeling of Status Offenses Theme 2: (Dis)connection as a Coping Mechanism The “Dysfunctional Family”: (Disengaging from) Family as Risk Schools as Sites of Risk Theme 3: Poverty Creating Informal Economies That Endanger Girls Drug-Related Offenses Child Sexual Exploitation and Trafficking (CSEC) Theme 4: Systems Underequipped to Respond to Girls Motherhood Being Unhoused and Unstable Housing Conclusion: Gender (Mostly) Matters—Fundamental Change Requires Fundamental Shifts References Chapter 3: Female Sexual Aggression on Campus: Misperceptions and Implications for Intervention Definitional and Methodological Issues Overview of Female-Perpetrated Sexual Aggression Women Report Less Perpetration and More Victimization Than Do Men Women Are More Likely to Use Verbal Than Physical Strategies Female Perpetration Within and Against Sexual and Gender Minority Communities Correlates of College Female Sexual Aggression Life Experiences Attitudes and Beliefs Behavior Perceptions of Sexually Aggressive Women Implications of Ignoring or Minimizing Female Sexual Aggression Implications for Interventions and University Policies Dealing with Sexual Aggression Conclusions References Chapter 4: Perceptions of Female Perpetrators of Interpersonal Partner Violence Perceptions of Female Perpetrators of Interpersonal Partner Violence Evidence that Aggression Develops Independently in Females Public Attitudes Towards Female IPV Press Reports Police Perceptions Legal System Summary References Chapter 5: (Mis)Perceptions of Gender Symmetry in Culture and Media Hashtags and Death Threats Introduction to Intimate Partner Violence Gender Symmetry Types of Intimate Partner Violence Intimate Partner Violence in Culture and Media No Stock Characters Toward a Broader Understanding Intimate Partner Violence in Popular Culture References Chapter 6: Intimate Partner Violence and Women Offenders Introduction IPV Policy History IPV and the Criminal Legal System Law Enforcement IPV Response Prosecutorial Decision-Making Judicial Decision-Making Potential IPV Reforms Limitations to Research and Future Directions Lack of Data Examining Female Offenders Absence of Trans and Gender-Diverse Individuals in Research Nuance Within IPV Based on Gender The White Perspective in Empirical Research Nuance Within IPV Perpetration Based on Race Psychological Abuse Conclusion References Part II: Stereotypes and Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Chapter 7: The Impact of Gendered Stereotypes and Perceptions of Violence: Perceptions of Female Perpetrators of Domestic and Sexual Violence Introduction Evidence of Women’s Violence Physical Violence: Vignette-Based Research Criticism of Current Vignette-Based Research Explanations of Differences in Attitudes Perceptions of Sexual Violence Female Perpetrators and the LGBTQ+ Community Other Forms of Family Violence: Sibling Violence Child-to-Parent Violence Conclusion References Chapter 8: Female Sexual Offending (FSO): The Ripple Effect Introduction Part One: Female Sexual Offenders Adult Female Sex Offenders Sexual Offences Committed Most Often by FSOs Female Sex Offender Typologies Contexts of Offending for and Roles of Adult Female Sexual Offenders Mothers as Perpetrators and Bystanders The Female Healthcare and Mental Health Professional The Female Mental Health Professional The Female Sex-Trafficker Adolescent Female Offenders Adolescent Traffickers Part Two: Victims of Female Sexual Offending Victim Characteristics and Statistics: A Comparative Analysis Victims’ Perceptions of Female Sexual Offenses Nature of Violence Against Victims Shortcomings of Professional Support for Victims of Female Sexual Offenses Part Three: The “Ripple” Effect of Female Sexual Offending Defining and Monitoring the Problem Identifying Risk and Protective Factors Developing and Testing Prevention Strategies Assuring Widespread Adoption Public Health Approaches to FSO Prevention Primary Prevention Secondary Prevention Tertiary Prevention Part Four: Policy Implications References Chapter 9: Empirically Directed Risk Assessment for Women Who Perpetrate Sexual Offenses Introduction Typologies (Multidimensional Classifications) Analyst-Constructed Typologies: Teacher/Lover, Predisposed, and Male-Coerced Cluster Analytic Typologies Multiple Correspondence Analytic Typologies Single Modernized Cluster: Three Basic Typologies Offense Pathways: Descriptive Model of the Offense Process Recidivism Risk Factors (Large-Scale Analyses) Recidivism Base Rates Empirically Directed Assessment References Index