A prominent theory regarding female homicide offenders is the theory of domestic violence and its effect on the abused. The majority of women that murder, kill an intimate under domestic violence circumstances, often referred to as victim precipitated (DeWees, Mari A. and Parker, Karen F, 2003). Over half of murders committed by females victimized someone whom the offender shared a residence with. Furthermore, a study concluded that even with the effects of domestic violence, the crimes are not premeditated, but the result of a confrontation that is escalating (Goetting, Ann, 1988). While there is no excuse for murder, domestic abuse is an accepted reason for why women might commit the offense. Many female prisons do not assess how many inmates have abusive partners. Although this is not assessed, surveys have been conducted which conclude that over 75% of incarcerated women are abused on a regular basis. This shows a strong correlation between abuse and criminal activity. This is one reason that domestic abuse is considered such a strong explanation for murder committed by females (Zust, Barbara, 2008). It can be theorized from this model of domestic violence that female offenders that were in this situation fall under the self help theory. The self help theory applies to the women who kill their partners because the abuse has escalated to a point in which they fear for their lives. Often times these women feel that the legal system does not care about their problems and they desperately "take care" of the issue themselves. It has been found that women that take this course of action often feel they are in far more danger then those women who seek help from a shelter. This has been accepted as a reason for murder because it can be considered that the offender's mind set is one of self defense (Peterson, Elicka S, 1999). The self help theory applies to other situations as well, not only domestic violence cases. For example, a significant number of teenage females will murder their young babies because of an unwanted pregnancy. This is one way they see of helping themselves out of a perceived desperate situation. Similarly, young females are more likely to get involved in a team killing, such as with gangs. Often female gangs are connected to male gangs. The girls feel that they must keep up with the male gang and often participate in the same criminal activities. Some girls who would not ordinarily become involved in a murder feel this pressure and find themselves committing this offense. This theory only applies to females in their teens and early twenties (Roe-Sepowitz, Dominique, 2007). Carmela Bujbut's story is tragic. She had been a victim of domestic abuse for over twenty four years of marriage. Her husband's violent and abusive behavior took her over the edge one day and she shot and killed him. The extensive abuse that she had endured leading up to the crime made the story a media circus. Because of this, domestic violence was widely accepted as an explanation and a theory for homicide committed by abused females (Herzog, Sergio, 2006). Other theoretical perspectives surrounding female homicide offending include race, region, social status, and other factors that are similar theories to crime in general. It has been discovered in some studies, that while these factors play important roles in the act of homicide in general, they have very little influence on female offending specifically. Other studies determined that these factors were equally important when referring to the role of women who murder (DeWees, Mari A. and Parker, Karen F, 2003). After researching the effects of region it was determined that this factor had very little to do with predicting where women who commit murder may reside. Instead, social structure and status are considered to be far more influential. For example, in the south, women were slightly more likely to commit murder than in the north. Although this finding may suggest that there is a correlation with region and offending, when researched further it was determined that this had more to do with social structure. In areas that are prone to unemployment and poverty, women offend more. These areas are in the north and the south. Also, gender inequality in certain areas contributes to women offending. This is because since a majority of killings by women are done in domestic violence situations, gender inequality does not allow them to leave their abuser easily, resulting in desperate measures. It can be concluded that while different regions have different numbers for female offending, it is not because of the structure of the region, but more specifically the social structure of gender within a region that affects whether or not women murder (DeWees, Mari A. and Parker, Karen F, 2003).
Chapters
1. Introduction
2. Description of Topic
3. Theoretical Perspectives
4. Discussion and Analysis
5. Conclusion
6. References
