Abstract
This study investigated gender differences regarding young people charged with murder in England and Wales. A sample of 318 cases was collected from the Home Office’s Homicide Index and analysed. Of these cases, 93% of the offenders were male and 7% female. The analyses explored gender differences in terms of the offender’s race, offender’s age, victim’s age, victim’s gender, weapon used, offender-victim relationship, and circumstances of the offence. The study found that a female offender was significantly more likely to murder a family member than a male offender; and a male offender was significantly more likely to murder a stranger than a female offender. Additionally, a female offender was significantly more likely to murder a victim under the age of five than a male offender. Implications for interventions with young people who are charged with murder are discussed.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 413-429 |
Journal | International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology |
Volume | 61 |
Issue number | 4 |
Early online date | 18 Jul 2015 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Mar 2017 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- juvenile homicide
- juvenile offenders
- gender differences