Gender Differences

Objective: Although research shows female offenders are more likely than male offenders to be diagnosed with serious mental illness (SMI), there is little research on recidivism among female offenders. We examined recidivism among female and male offenders with SMI. The goal was to provide information on gender differences in offender characteristics and predictors of repeat arrest.

Methods: We used multiple administrative data sets to identify adults with SMI arrested in a large urban county in the FY03-04 and followed them for 1 year prior and 2 years following the index year.

Results: Over half (59% or 2,227) were men; 1,542 (41%) were women. The majority (75% of men and 74% of women) were white, 20% of men and 19% of women were black, and 4% of men and 5% of women were Hispanic. Most (85% of men and women) were between 21 and 50 years old; 18% of women and 25% of men had a psychotic disorder and 82% of women and 75% of men had a mood disorder. Men averaged 4.9 arrests and women 4.2 arrests per study period. Recidivism predictors included younger age, black, homeless, having a substance use disorder and experiencing an involuntary psychiatric examination. Substance abuse diagnosis predicted re-arrests in women but not men. Recidivism was 44% higher for men (OR = 1.44; P < 0.01).

Conclusions: Substance abuse diagnosis may play a particularly important role in risk of re-arrest among women. Risk for recidivism was high for both groups and requires further research.