Wives and Mothers At Risk: The Role of Marital and Maternal Status in Criminal Activity and Incarceration

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Issue Date
2009Author
Berry, Marianne
Johnson, Toni
Severson, Margaret
Postmus, Judy L.
Publisher
Alliance for Children and Families
Type
Article
Article Version
Scholarly/refereed, publisher version
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
As the numbers of women entering prison are increasing, more attention is being paid to the social circumstances of criminally involved women. Crime research has highlighted the familial roles of women more than men, focusing on the social and personal roles of women. This study examines a cross-sectional sample of 423 women in one state, assessing the associations of motherhood and intimate partnership with criminal activity. The study finds that criminal activity, particularly economic crime, is highly related to motherhood. Economic crime is predicted by having a higher number of young children, while both economic and violent crimes are predicted by a woman’s history of victimization; marriage does not reduce these risks.
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This is the publisher's version, also found here: http://doi.org/10.1606/1044-3894.3891
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Citation
Severson, Margaret E. (2009) Wives and mothers at risk: The role of marital and maternal status in criminal activity and incarceration. Families in Society, 90 (3), 293-300. http://doi.org/10.1606/1044-3894.3891
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