Risk Factors for Criminal Recidivism in Female Offenders

A substantial rise in the number of females involved in the criminal justice system has resulted in increased interest in females’ risk factors for crime and the emergence of two competing perspectives on criminal offending: the gender specific theory and the gender neutral theory. The gender specific theory posits that females have unique, gender specific risk factors for crime, while the gender neutral theory asserts that the risk factors are the same, or very similar, for males and females. Recent research provides support for the gender neutral model, as traditional risk assessment instruments, which were created based on research with male offenders, have been found to predict recidivism similarly in females and males. However, there has been little research on gender specific variables. This study examined the validity of the Level of Service Inventory-Revised (LSI-R), a traditional risk assessment instrument, and several gender specific variables in predicting recidivism in 300 female offenders being released from state custody after incarceration. The LSI-R Overall score and Criminal History, Alcohol/Drug and Financial subscores significantly predicted recidivism, but the other subscores did not. Of the gender specific variables tested, only the Borderline scale of the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) was found to be significantly correlated with recidivism. The Anxiety, Depression, Non-support, and Suicidal Ideation subscores of the PAI were not significantly associated with recidivism. These results indicate that the LSI-R may not be as accurate in predicting recidivism in females as in males. Furthermore, Borderline personality traits should be further investigated as potential risk factors for recidivism in females.M.S., Psychology -- Drexel University, 201