Perceptions of Female Offenders, Vol. 1: How Stereotypes and Social Norms Affect Criminal Justice Responses

This first volume of the second edition builds on the many developments made to the study of female offenders, compiling new insights and evidence-based research. With new cases such as Amber Heard and Johnny Depp, it further explores topics including the role of social media in how female offenders are portrayed, juvenile offenders, female aggression in young adults, female perpetrators of domestic violence and more.

This book begins with new research on gender stereotypes, disruptive behavior, female aggression, the impact of American media and culture, and gender stereotypes and how they relate to female offending. It examines more diverse topics to include greater intersectionality of female perpetrators in terms of age, race, ethnicity, and sexual identity, and country. Additionally, it provides a comprehensive evidence-based review of the research that is valuable to researchers, practitioners, and advocates interested in equality in the criminal justice system. ​

Dr. Brenda Russell is a Professor of Psychology at Penn State Berks. Her scholarly and teaching interests include psychology and law, perceptions of victims and perpetrators of domestic violence, homicide defendants, and the social psychological and cognitive aspects of jury decision making. She is particularly interested in how gender and sexual orientation play a role in evaluating defendants and victims in legal cases such as self-defense in intimate partner violence, rape, sexual coercion, bullying, and sexual harassment.

Celia Torres, M.A. is a graduate from the George Washington University’s master’s program in Forensic Psychology Program in Washington DC. Her scholarly interests include psychology and terrorism, counterintelligence, and psychopathology. She has interned in therapeutic and punitive settings where she assisted clients and professionals with treatment, monitoring, and the identification of resources. Her previous work can be found in ＂Intimate Partner Violence in the LGBT+ community＂ in collaboration with Dr. Brenda Russell.