Discourse on female crime and violence has been increasing in recent years in response to hotly debated claims that women and girls are increasingly involved in violence and crime and the extent to which this reflects actual changes in behavior versus altered policies and practices (e.g., three strikes laws; drug offenses) that are increasingly criminalizing already marginalized girls and women (e.g., impoverished, ethnic minorities, prostitutes). An in-depth examination of the empirical knowledge base on violence and criminal offending in girls and women provides scholars and policy makers with critical information on this neglected topic.
