Physical and Psychological Characteristics

• One of the most common characteristics of women offenders is age. The typical female offender in the criminal justice system is in her early to mid-thirties, with most having had prior run-ins with law enforcement due to petty or violent crime. In addition to sharing a common age, female offenders are typically women of color who often suffer from undiagnosed mental illness or depression and have demonstrated difficulty in obtaining and maintaining gainful employment.
  
  

History of Drug Use

• Another common characteristic of women who offend is a history of drug use. By the time the typical female commits a serious or violent crime, she has typically been a drug abuser for a period of years. Female offenders with the most serious drug addictions are typically convicted of crimes that relate to the use or sale of illegal or prescription drugs either directly or indirectly for the purpose of obtaining money to support their drug habit.
  
  

History of Abuse

• Abuse or trauma as a child or early adult is another common characteristic shared by female offenders in the criminal justice system. The Diagnostic Manual for Mental Health Providers defines trauma as a direct personal experience or event that involves death, the threat of death or personal injury that causes a serious psychiatric reaction to the observant. Statistically, women who have experienced physical, sexual or emotional abuse in the past or who have experienced instances of trauma are more likely to commit an act of violent crime than women who do not.
  
  

Family Issues

• Yet another common characteristic of female offenders relates to their propensity to come from broken homes. Statistically, female offenders typically come from single-parent backgrounds or are raised by extended relatives or family members other than her biological parents. Female offenders are frequently also single mothers of young children. In addition, female offenders often have family members who are incarcerated or who have done time in prison for drug-related offenses and violent crime.