Gender Differences in a Dutch Forensic Sample of Severe Violent Offenders

Abstract

Awareness is growing that the knowledge we have on male offenders, to a large extent, may not be applicable to female offenders. The current study was performed in a Dutch forensic assessment center. The sample consisted of 140 female offenders and 140 male matched-controls. The study focused on the mental disorders, psychological factors, and crime-related variables of female offenders in comparison to those of their male counterparts. The results of this study indicate that female offenders differ from male offenders on various variables. More specifically, female offenders were more often depressed, more often had traits of a borderline personality, were more often sexually and physically abused and emotionally neglected, showed more self-harming behavior, and had a lower self-esteem. These results suggest that more research on gender differences in offenders is needed to provide insight in how a gender specific forensic treatment should be established.