Pathways to Persistence: Female Offending from 14 to 25

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Abstract

Purpose: While violent crime among females has nearly doubled, research on crime still tends to focus on male offending. To better understand the developmental patterns of female crime, this study identifies the trajectories of female offending from ages 14–25 years and examines the risk factors for persistent offending. Female trajectories and risk factors for offending are compared to those from a matched sample of males. Methods: Participants include 172 serious (largely felony level) offending females and a matched sample of 172 males from the Pathways to Desistance study. Group-based trajectory modeling was used to identify patterns of female and male offending behavior (assessed via self-report) across 7 years. Results: Findings indicate that there is great heterogeneity in criminal behavior among serious female offenders with roughly 7 % of females’ criminal careers persisting into adulthood. Notable differences in the risk factors for male and female offending trajectories were found. Females who persist in their criminal careers tend to be exposed to more violence in their lives, have more mental health problems, and experience more adversarial interpersonal relationships compared to those who desist. Conclusion: Although the pathways of male and female offending may follow remarkably similar patterns, the underlying factors that distinguish among these trajectories are often different for females than for males. As such, there is great need for a more nuanced understanding of the most common precursors to persistent female offending.

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Cauffman, E., Monahan, K. C., & Thomas, A. G. (2015). Pathways to Persistence: Female Offending from 14 to 25. Journal of Developmental and Life-Course Criminology, 1(3), 236–268. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40865-015-0016-z

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