Women who encounter the criminal justice system are far more likely to have experienced domestic or sexual abuse than the wider female population. Despite widespread recognition of the link between a woman-s victimisation and her involvement in crime, the relationship between the two is still not well understood. Gendered Justice? illustrates how a woman-s involvement in crime can manifest as a by-product of her attempts to cope with, survive, or escape domestic abuse.
Referencing the first UK-based research of its kind, Roberts explores how a woman-s involvement in crime can be explained or contextualised by her experience of domestic abuse. Drawing on the experiences of women serving community-based sentences, all of whom had been subjected to domestic abuse, the author analyses a variety of situations which illustrate how women can become involved in crime when their abuse perpetrator is not present, after the abusive relationship has ended or even years after the
