Bureau of Justice Statistics Special Report

1 Lawrence A. Greenfeld and Tracy L. SnellBJS StatisticiansPopulation estimates from the CensusBureau for July 1, 1998, indicate thatwomen account for more than half thepopulation age 10 or older: Both genders 230,861,000 ,010, Males111,851, The racial and ethnic composition ofthe general population age 10 or oldervaries slightly when males and femalesare compared. Non-Hispanic blackfemales outnumber non-Hispanic blackmales by nearly million, accountingfor more than a quarter of the totaldifference in the number of males andfemales in the general compose a slightly higherpercentage of the female population( ) than of the male population( ). Nearly a third of the disparityin the number of females versus malesin the general population is accountedfor by the larger number of minorityfemales. The average age of females in thegeneral population is about 2 yearsolder than that of males.

2 The largestage disparity, about 3 years, is foundamong black non-Hispanic femalescompared to black non-Hispanicmales. Among females, Hispanicwomen have the lowest average age, years, while white non-Hispanicwomen have the highest, years. Based on the self-reports of victimsof violence, women account for about14% of violent offenders & an annualaverage of about million violentfemale offenders. Male offending equals about 1violent offender for every 9 males age10 or older, a per capita rate 6 timesthat of women. Three out of four violent femaleoffenders committed simple assault. An estimated 28% of violent femaleoffenders are juveniles. Three out of four victims of violentfemale offenders were women. Nearly 2 out of 3 victims had a priorrelationship with the female offender. An estimated 4 in 10 womencommitting violence were perceivedby the victim as being under the influ-ence of alcohol and/or drugs at thetime of the crime.

3 The per capita rate of murderoffending by women in 1998 was thelowest recorded since 1976; the rateat which women commit murder hasbeen declining since 1980. In 1998 there were an million arrests of women &accounting for about 22% of allarrests that year. The per capita rateof arrest among juvenile females wasnearly twice the adult female rate. Since 1990 the number of femaledefendants convicted of felonies inState courts has grown at more than2 times the rate of increase in maledefendants. In 1998 an estimated 950,000women were under the care, custody,or control of correctional agencies &probation or parole agencies super-vising 85% of these offenders in thecommunity. The total equals a rate of about 1 woman involved with thecriminal Justice system for every 109adult women in the population. Women under supervision byjustice system agencies weremothers of an estimated millionminor children.

4 Nearly 6 in 10 women in Stateprisons had experienced physical orsexual abuse in the past; just over athird of imprisoned women had beenabused by an intimate in the past;and just under a quarter reportedprior abuse by a family member. About 84,000 women wereconfined in prisons in 1998. In 1996the average sentence and timeserved for women were shorter thanfor males with equivalent a percent of each category951,900160,5003,171,0002,135,000 Numberpopulationsdefendantsarresteesoffe ndersWomen offendersCorrectionalConvicted Department of JusticeOffice of Justice ProgramsRevised 10/3/2000, thBureau of Justice StatisticsSpecial ReportHighlights December 1999, NCJ 175688 Women OffendersTable 1 Violent victimizers During an average year, based on theperiod 1993-97, victims of violenceattributed the crimes they experiencedto an estimated million femaleviolent offenders and million maleviolent 1 out of 7 violent offendersdescribed by victims was a accounted for 1 in 50 offend-ers committing a violent sex offenseincluding rape and sexual assault, 1 in14 robbers.

5 1 in 9 offenders committingaggravated assault, and more than 1 in 6 offenders described as havingcommitted a simple assault. Nearly 3 in 4 violentvictimizations committedby female offenders weresimple assaults; just overhalf the violence of maleoffenders is described assimple rate of male violentoffending translated intoabout 1 violent offender for every 9males age 10 or older in the generalpopulation; the rate of female violentoffending was equal to about 1 violentoffender for every 56 females age 10or capita rates of offending amongboth males and females decreasedfrom the peak rates recorded in of committing violent crime in1997 were 29% lower for males and25% lower among females. Characteristics of violent femaleoffendersMore than half of female violentoffenders were described by victims as white, and just over a third weredescribed as black. About 1 in 10 weredescribed as belonging to another race(Asian, Pacific Islander, Native Hawai-ian, American Indian, Aleut, orEskimo).

6 Black and white offenders accountedfor nearly equal proportions of womencommitting robbery and aggravatedassault; however, simple assaultoffenders were more likely to bedescribed as violent female offenders, 53%committed the offense while alone, and40% were with others, all of whomwere female. Among male offenders,47% were alone, and 51% were withother males when the offenseoccurred. About 8% of violent femaleoffenders committed their offensetogether with at least one maleoffender; by contrast, about 1% of maleviolent offenders committed the offensein the company of a female Women Offenders111,851,000119,010,000 Total Indian/Alaska Native Islander MalesFemalesPercent of population age 10 or older, 1998 Gender, race, and Hispanic origin in the population187,187,0001,533,000 Simple assault113,419,000435,000 Aggravated assault72,051,000157,000 Robbery2442,00010,000 Sexual assault14%13,098,0002,135,000 Alloffenders MaleFemale OffenseWomen asa percent of violentAverage annual number of offenders reportedby victims, 1993-97 Violent crimes committed by females and :femaleFemaleMale Ratio of offending rates,Offending rates:Number of offendersper 1,000 residentsTable 3 Table 2 Table 41993199419951996199704080120160 Number of violent offenders per 1,000 residentsWomen (rate times 7)MenFig.

7 2 Fig. 1assaultRobberyoffenses0%20%40%60%Percen t of female offendersWhiteBlackOtherViolentAggr avatedSim pleassaul tFig. 2 Fig. 330 or older21-2918-2015-1712-14 Under 120%20%40%Age of offenderPercent of violent female offendersVictims of violence provided verysimilar descriptions of their perceptionsof the ages of both female and maleviolent offenders. For each age group&juveniles, young adults, and those30 or older & victims reported littlevariation in offender age between thetwo accounted for about 28% offemale violent offenders, nearly identi-cal to the juvenile percentage (26%)found among violent male of victims of female violent offendersOverall, female-to-female violenceaccounted for 11% of all violent offend-ers described by victims. An additional3% of violent offenders were womenwho attacked offenders most often victimizedpersons of the same gender.

8 Morethan 3 out of 4 female offenders had afemale victim; about 7 out of 10 maleshad a male victim. About 29% of vio-lent offenders had a victim of a differentgender; 9 out of 10 of these offenderswere males with female victims. Male and female violent offendersdiffered substantially in their relation-ship to those they victimized. Anestimated 62% of female violentoffenders had a prior relationship withthe victim as an intimate, relative, oracquaintance. By contrast, about 36%of male violent offenders wereestimated to have known the who were intimates accountedfor an identical percentage of bothmale and female violent women committed their violentoffense against men, 35% of theoffenders attacked an intimate orrelative. By contrast, 8% of victimiza-tions of other females involved intimates or family members. For bothmale and female victims, the proportionof female offenders attacking strangerswas the same.

9 Where offenders committedviolence and use of drugs or alcohol For nearly half of female offenders, the violent offense took place either at or near the victim s home or atschool. Less than a third of maleoffenders carried out their crimes in these to victim self-reports, femaleoffenders account for about 1 in 4offenders committing violence at aschool. Women were also estimatedto account for about 1 in 8 violentoffenders in the workplace and 1 in 6violent offenders committing theoffense in the victim s were few differences betweenmale and female violent offenders invictim perceptions of drug or alcoholuse at the time of the offense. About 4in 10 male and female violent offenderswere reported by victims to have beenusing alcohol, drugs, or both at the timeof the of female violenceThe consequences of male violencewere generally more serious for thevictim in terms of weapon use, injury,and out-of-pocket losses to the victim.

10 Male offenders were more likely thanfemale offenders (28% to 15%) to haveused a weapon such as a blunt object,knife, or firearm in the commission ofthe violent injuries, such as broken bones,being knocked unconscious, concus-sions, knife wounds, or gunshotwounds, were slightly more associatedwith male offenders; however, the likeli-hood of hospital treatment for thevictims of male and female offenderswas about the same. An estimated865,000 violent offenders were respon-sible for crimes against victims whoseinjuries resulted in hospital treatment; Women Offenders 3 Drugs onlyAlcohol onlyBothAnyNeither0%20%40%60%80%Offender 's use of alcohol or drugsPercent of violent offendersat the ti m e of the vi ol enceFem ale offender sM ale offender sStrangerAcquaintanceRelativeIntimate0%2 0%40%60%Victim-offender relationshipPercent of female Female victimMale victimvi ol ent offender s63603 Male372611 Female100%86%14%TotalTotalMaleFemaleGend er of victimGender of violent offenderPercentage of all violent victimizations reported by victimsTable 5 Fig.