Female felons in America

Based on research by Warren, J., Hurt, S., Loper, A., Bale, R.,

Friend, R., & Chauhan, P. (2002)

Psychopathy in female prison populations

• Psychopathology: Symptoms that cause mental, emotional, and/or physical pain.

• Research confirms that more females in prison suffer from higher rates of psychopathy than their male counterparts.

Mental health issues among females incarcerated

Most common diagnoses:

Substance Abuse/Dependence (70%)

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (34%)

Severe disorders (19%)Includes: Schizophrenia, Mania &

Major Depression

Definitions(Nolen-Hoeksema, 2004)

• Substance use: Recurrent substance use leads to significant harmful consequences

• Substance Dependence: Substance use leads to physiological dependence or significant impairment or distress

• PTSD: anxiety disorder characterized by repeated mental images of experiencing traumatic event, emotional numbing, and hyper vigilance

• Schizophrenia: disorder consisting of unreal or disorganized thoughts and perceptions. Includes verbal, cognitive and behavioral deficits

• Mania: State of persistently elevated mood, feelings of grandiosity, over enthusiasm, racing thoughts, rapid speech and impulsive actions

• Major Depression: Disorder involving a sad mood, plus four or more of the following: weight loss, insomnia, fatigue, feelings of worthlessness, severe guilt, trouble concentrating, suicidal ideation. Symptoms must be present for at least 2 weeks

Antisocial Personality Disorder (APD):

• Pervasive pattern of criminal, impulsive, callous, and/or ruthless behavior.

• Disregard for the rights of others and an absence of respect for social norms.

• Use to be referred to as “psychopath”

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)

• Rapidly shifting and unstable mood, self-concept, and interpersonal relationships

• Impulsive behavior and transient dissociative states

• Includes out-of-control emotions that cannot be smoothed, a hypersensitivity to other people, and history of hurting oneself

Histrionic Personality Disorder (HPD)

• Rapidly shifting moods

• Unstable relationships

• Intense need for attention and approval

Often use overly dramatic behavior,

seductiveness and dependence

• Several studies have documented that many female prisoners suffer from Personality Disorders

• APD and BPD are the two most common types identified in females incarcerated

Hypothesis for high levels of mental illness in female prisoners

• Severe forms of early abuse and neglect common to many incarcerated women lead to psychiatric disorders

• Intergeneral transmission

• Typical behaviors seen in APD & BPD can lead to arrest and imprisonment of females

Racial issues?

• Psychiatric distress is seen more in White inmates

• Suggests the most deviant White women are incarcerated while African American women are imprisoned for less serious behavior

History of victimization

• Recognized that over half of all females incarcerated are victims of physical and sexual abuse

• Females who have a history of victimization are more likely to be at risk for adult substance dependence than male counterparts

Repeat victimization

• Several studies have shown connection between childhood victimization and experiencing violence in adulthood

Hypothesis

– Modeling by parents– Exposure to deviant peer and community

influences– PTSD– Internalizing self as a victimized person– Reenactment of childhood events as adult

(Either as victim or aggressor)

Violent Fems

• Research collected worldwide confirms women commit far fewer violent crimes than men

• Women tend to be violent towards own family members.

• Occurs usually in the home, while on medication

Violent Fems (continued)

• The wounds females inflict are less serious than those by male counterparts

• Women are less likely to be arrested than male counterparts

• APD and violent behavior has been documented well documented in men

• Research between APD and violent behavior in women is in early stages

Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI)

• Used to assess various Axis I psychopathology

• Nine subscales: Somatization, obsessive-compulsive, interpersonal sensitivity, depression, anxiety, hostility, phobic anxiety, and paranoid ideation

Prison Violence Inventory (PVI)

• Used to measure the amount of violence that each inmate has both experienced and perpetrated in prison

The sample

• 48% were 32 years old or younger• 3% over 50 years of age

• 61% minority

• 51% graduated from high school

• 79% had at least one child

The sample (cont.)

• 33% had previously been incarcerated

• 21% in for a violent offense

• 8% in for a “potentially violent offense”

• 1% in for a sex crime

• 28% in for drugs

• 39% in for property offense

The sample (cont.)

• Over 50% screened positive for a Personality Disorder

• More younger women (< 32) had a Personality Disorder than their older cohorts

The sample (cont.)

• 55% reported being victims of sexual abuse before 18 years old

• 39% reported experiencing physical abuse before age 18

• Younger, non minority women reported higher levels of victimization

High violence group

• Reported two or more violent incidents

• N=73

• Age level and a positive screen for APD significantly increased the likelihood of being in the high violence group

Minority women

• 15-20% of United States population

• However, over 60% of women in prison are minorities

• Stringent drug sentencing accounts for a large part of this difference

Killers

• Majority of humans who murder do not suffer are not antisocial or psychopathic

• Killers have the lowest recidivism rates

Predicting prison violence

• Age

• Minority status

• High scores on BSI Global Severity Index

• APD or HPD

• Sexual victimization before age of 18