PERPETRATORS AND VICTIMS: Women, Double Deviance and the Criminal Justice System

In the context of a criminal justice system (CJS), women with criminal convictions are highly likely to be both victims and perpetrators of crime; they are very likely to have complex trauma histories and are highly likely to be victims of a variety of harms, not least domestic violence, and sexual assault. As both victims and perpetrators, but also as women, these individuals experience discrimination due to their violation of the law, gender discrimination and societal stigma for their violation of social norms and expectations. The reaction to these violations gives rise to the phrase double deviance, the idea that women are punished for breaking social norms and breaking the law. In addition, the experiences of women with criminal convictions can be explained by the concept ideal victim. This chapter examines how the notion of the ‘ideal victim’ is a caricature of women, and how the notion of double deviance reflects most accurately the treatment of women in any CJS. This work draws on the experience of professionals who work with criminalised women in Ireland to better appreciate how they are understood, responded to and how the notion of perpetrator victim is or is not relevant to these women’s experiences.