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Violence and Violent Crime- The Gender Consideration
the gender of (i) ‘lifers’ who have the UK have a large problem with vio-
been recalled (ii) those convicted lence but this is possibly due to an increas-
but awaiting sentence/deportation ing culture of binge-drinking. Indeed, as
(iii) those under sixteen years of age. recently as December 2006, reports of
Williams states that, in a nine year violence fuelled by alcohol were in the
period, there was a rise of 140% for news again; this time, however, the focus
female offenders incarcerated (1993- was not the violence as such, but that the
2001) despite the fact that offending perpetrators of the violence were female.
rates remained relatively stable. In
the United States, figures show that A BBC article quotes Dr. Jon Cole of
although incarceration rates were rising, Liverpool University who believes that,
violent offences by women were going whilst it does not cause aggression, al-
in the opposite direction; women’s cohol stops sensible choices being made
involvement in violent offences showed “You make the easiest choice, which is
a minimal rise (from 10.8% to 12.3%). often aggression”. The same article re-
This may, however, be reflective of fers to a study by The Glasgow Centre for
changes in recording, prosecuting and the Study of Violence which showed that
incarcerating female offenders rather women were involved in almost half of
than any actual increase in the rate of all the pub fights observed. Further, medi-
female offending itself. cal research shows that testosterone levels
in women rise by fifty percent in females,
Violence is often fuelled by substance but is lower in males when they become
abuse, via alcohol or drugs or both drunk.
and this is the case both for men
and women. Males perpetrate the Violence however is a term which can be
highest numbers of crimes, violent interpreted in many ways: one particular
or otherwise, and they also account study shows females’ understanding and
for the highest number of victims of interpretation of violence is unusual (see
violent assaults; women, however, Burman below). There are accepted defi-
as perpetrators of violent crimes in nitions of violence or aggression: crime
particular are on the however women is “an action which constitutes a serious
are apparently working hard to catch offence against an individual or...state...”
up. Certainly, the media portrays young violence: “behavior involving physical
women as being ‘as bad as boys’ when force intended to hurt, damage, or kill;
it comes to violence, particularly when strength of emotion or of a destructive
fuelled by alcohol; city centers across natural force”. Aggression: “hostile or
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