Female Offenders of Lethal and Severe Violence - Mental Health, Risk Factors for Criminality and Offence Behaviour

Abstract

In about 10 % of homicides, offenders are females, forming an understudied group. The main aim of this thesis is to identify the qualities that distinguish female offenders of lethal and severe violence in terms of mental health, risk factors for violent criminality, and offence behaviour. Paper I examines incidence rates of female- and male-perpetrated homicide from 1990-2010 and explores similarities and differences between female and male homicide offenders for both those with child versus adult victims. The results indicate that homicide rates by both female and male offenders declined, with gender differences more prominent among offenders with adult victims. Paper II characterises female offenders of lethal and severe violence, with versus without a severe mental disorder (SMD), regarding demographics, mental health, substance use, and crime characteristics. Findings reveal that most female offenders faced challenges such as unemployment, adverse experiences, and mental health issues, and committed their crime within close relations. However, those with an SMD more often exhibited psychotic disorders and a more diverse range of victim-offender relationships, while they less often had substance use issues and prior criminality. Paper III investigates female offenders of lethal and severe violence, with versus without an SMD, assessing levels of psychopathy and type of violence. The females displayed relatively low levels of psychopathy (PCL-R) and primarily reactive rather than instrumental motives (Violent Incident Coding Sheet). The SMD group showed lower levels of psychopathy, and provocation, and higher levels of arousal and short-term planning. Paper IV examines, using established instruments, the relation between measures of risk for violence and of aggression in a life history perspective among female offenders of lethal and severe violence, identifying the strongest factors associated with lethal violence. The findings suggest that individuals charged with lethal offences exhibited fewer risk and aggression factors than those involved in non-lethal violence. In conclusion, female offenders of lethal and severe violence are characterised by adverse experiences and complex features, highlighting the need for targeted interventions across health care, social services, and law enforcement.