Sweet and Spiteful: What Makes Female Criminality?

 WC Blogpost by: CG1

When stereotypically thinking of the characteristics of modern femininity, traits like warmth, sensitivity, and affection may commonly top the list. But what happens when a woman starts becoming too calculative or aggressive and displays criminal behavior? Can a woman exude the traits of modern femininity and female criminality at the same time, or are the two mutually exclusive? In the episode "Try and Catch Me" of the show Columbo, the plot follows a female murder mystery writer, Abigail (as shown above), as she tries to get away with the murder of her nephew while being investigated by Detective Columbo. Abigail's persona contradicts the typical features of a murderous woman. She is an affluent, older woman who made a living off writing books and commonly wears pearls and nightgowns. Although Abigail was calculative with her murder plan and the actions to cover it up, her demeanor was not aggressive or overly intimidating. She played off her social identity of being an old, affluent woman, as she could never be the type to kill someone. She tried to convince the detective that someone like her could not be a murderer. The episode was a perfect example of the overlap between femininity and female criminality. It showed how privileged social identities and femininity can provide some form of protection against a murderer. The instances in the episode bring up questions about the place of female criminality in the 21st century. Are women less likely to be charged if they display feminine tendencies? Also, how does race factor into the perception of female criminals? Abigail was white, but what if the character was Black? How would the story change? Understanding how various social identities fit together is critical to uncovering the perceptions of female criminals. In the 21st century, there are multiple news stories about the differences in how Black men and white men are treated. As we learn more about female criminality, we can see how Black women are also treated more harshly by the criminal justice system

In a similar manner, the perceptions of female criminality and the judgment of their crimes are also dependent on the social identities of the victims. "'Mad' Enough to Kill: Enslaved Women, Murder, and Southern Courts" by Wilma King discusses the stories of Celia and Nelly, both young Black girls, who were charged with murder. But, while two hundred people petitioned to pardon Nelly, twelve jurors voted to give Celia the death penalty. Nelly was a 14-year-old girl who was charged with the murder of her infant, while Celia was 19 years old and charged with the murder of her white owner. When questioned about the murders, Nelly did not hide the fact that she killed her infant. Rather, she explained that she could not keep the child because of "the way" she became pregnant, implying that she was sexually assaulted by her owner. Multiple white petitioners asked not to execute Nelly but rather banish her, as she was not in the right state of mind to completely understand her actions. The same reasoning was not given to Celia. Celia had become "mad enough" to kill her owner after enduring multiple and frequent sexual assaults from him. She told him not to come to her room one night; otherwise, she would hurt him. He came anyway, and Celia ended up hitting him in the head multiple times, claiming "the devil got in her." Nelly and Celia's stories are not dramatically different, as they were both victims of sexual assault and the cruelty of slavery. But, the manner in which they reacted sealed their fate in the extremely discriminatory world of antebellum Missouri. Nelly killed her own child, while Celia killed her white owner. In the eyes of Missouri, violence coming from insanity was deemed okay on the one hand and not the other

Wilma King writes, "That they resorted to violence, in a moment of temporary insanity, is a reflection of their hatred of the abuse they suffered and of their abusers. Moreover, there was no real barrier against further exploitation, even by the court system designed to protect persons from violence and to punish perpetrators responsible for it" (49). The stories of these two young women are indicative of how the race of the victims can completely alter the perception of murder and criminality, and unfortunately, they were only two examples out of many where white life was valued over Black life. These factors have been rooted in the American judicial process in its creation, and addressing them is crucial when discussing modern female criminality. It is necessary to understand how the court and policing system treats women of different races with their respective crimes. Additionally, acknowledging biases can help form a more thorough understanding of female criminality. Taking the episode "Try and Catch Me" along with King's "Mad Enough to Kill," both pieces address the effects of social identity in a different manner. The television episode shows how the privileged social identities of a female murderer can provide protection, while the journal article about the past during slavery shows how the harming of privileged social identities can lead to a harsher sentence for the murderer. Although the stories in both sources were written at least a couple of decades ago, it might not be a stretch to assume that the current judicial system still holds similar biases

Keeping all social identities in mind, one of the biggest questions about female criminality is why they do it?  Is there one overarching reason why women commit crimes? If we look at Abigail, Nelly, and Celia, two out of the three were based on some form of revenge or retribution. Abigail wanted to avenge her niece's death; thus, she killed her nephew. Celia wanted to protect and avenge herself, so she killed her owner. In a similar vein, are women more likely to commit one type of crime over the other? It is notable that women commit less violent crimes than men, but why so? It is possible that, at times, a woman's end goal might be less violent compared to men; thus, her crimes are different and hold different motives. But, as an overall occurrence, what drives a woman to commit a specific type of crime? According to the Department of Justice, the most common contributions behind illegal actions for women lie in a history of "abuse or trauma, poverty and marginalization, mental health disorders, substance abuse, and dysfunctional relationships." Then, the United States Sentencing Commission stated that in 2013, the most common crimes committed by women were drug trafficking, fraud, and immigration. There clearly seems to be some correlation between the reasons why women get into crime and the crimes committed. Moving forward, it will be interesting to explore how social identities play into criminal activity and whether such identities affect why women commit crimes. I am also curious to find out if there are crimes that women commit at higher rates than men and what are the social circumstances that led to this outcome.

Another interesting aspect of female criminality is women's experience while incarcerated. There are many disparities between male and female prisons, and I am curious to find out what the modern-day conditions are of female prisons. Criminality is normally not a one-off instance where a person commits a crime once, is caught, goes to jail, and is done with illegal activity. The Bureau of Justice Statistics did a study where they observed recidivism between 2012-2017 in 34 states and noted that there was a 71% recidivism rate among prisoners. With this information, I am curious about whether the recidivism rate among women is lower. Additionally, how do the conditions and experiences in female prisons affect recidivism? Bringing Nelly and Celia's stories back into the picture, how do the social identities of the offenders and the victims affect the female offenders' experience within the prison? Then, there are also gender disparities with reentry into the world after prison. The Department of Justice explained that when men are released, they are more likely to have a home to go back to, and it is easier for them to find a job. On the other hand, women have to reestablish a home and work while also trying to gain back custody of children if she has any.

In 2023, there are centuries of history to acknowledge when trying to understand why an institution or social occurrence is the way that it is. With female criminality, it is crucial to look at stories like Nelly or Celia's because that time was when the judicial system was being built, and prejudices were ingrained into those institutions. The reason today's society is the way it is is a reflection of the past and an insight into the future. Female criminality is rooted with layers of discrimination, prejudice, and injustice in various aspects. The top reasons why women commit crimes today reflect those circumstances. Moving forward, I want to learn about the evolution of female criminality through the years. Has the type of crimes committed by women changed over time, or are there different motivations today?