There has been an increased focus on understanding the factors that may be predictive of violent recidivism among female offenders. Previous research has indicated that repeat and one-time violent female offenders have very different profiles. All female prisoners incarcerated for a violent offense in Scotland over a two-month period (n = 87) were compared on a range of demographic, offending, behavioral and mental health variables. Multivariate regression analysis revealed a lack of ‘spousal’ relationships and early onset of violent offending were significant predictor variables that distinguished the recidivist subgroup (explaining 68.2% of variance). Difficulties with intimate relationships are, however, noted for both subgroups.
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