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Abstract

There is a common misbelief that women do not commit sexual offences. By adopting a secondary research approach, this dissertation built on existing literature and knowledge on the characteristics of female sex offenders and, additionally, identified the implications for treatment. It explored the societal and professional perceptions that women are unable to be the perpetrators of sexual offences since traditional gender roles depict them as inherently powerless and innocent. It was discovered that women in contact with the criminal justice system possess unique factors that contribute to their offending, including trauma, mental health issues, and substance abuse. Despite this, the criminal justice system fails to take into account the specific needs of female offenders, which is reflected in the delivery of male-centric programmes in prison and rehabilitation models based predominantly around the needs of men. The women’s pathways perspective therefore emphasises the importance of understanding females’ unique routes into crime. There is an established connection between trauma, mental health issues, and substance abuse in female sex offenders; additionally, childhood abuse was particularly prominent. As a result, it has been determined that the most effective treatment approach for female sex offenders is trauma-informed practice. Through implementing trauma-informed and gender-responsive treatment programmes, it has resulted in reductions in substance abuse, improvements in mental health symptoms, and an overall decrease in recidivism. Overall, the literature on female sex offenders was scarce; this may be due to the prevalence rates of convicted offenders, underreporting of the crime, or societal attitudes. Therefore, research had to focus on common female offending. It is suggested that, due to the prevalence of trauma and ACEs among female sex offenders, routine trauma screening should be completed before implementing treatment strategies.

Course: Criminology and Criminal Justice - BSc - UP586PYC

Date Deposited: 2024-11-11

URI/permalink: https://library.port.ac.uk/dissert/dis14501.html