Recommended reading

Introduction ____________________________________________________________1 Purpose ________________________________________________________________1 Methodology____________________________________________________________2 Findings _____________________

This research report studies arrested female offenders in Auckland City within a six month period in 2008. The purpose of the study was to gain a better understanding of the prevalence and dynamics of female offending in the context of domestic violence in Auckland City. The report explores the dynamics of female domestic violence offending within a number of categories: violence to females (lesbian partnerships, family relationships, caregiver relationship) and offending toward males (heterosexual partnerships, family relationships, other male victims). The study found that 10% of domestic violence arrests (60 cases) were females within the six month period. Fourteen cases involved violence towards children and other family members. Thirty five cases involved violence to current or ex-male partners, and in 21 of these, the female offenders were known to have previously been the victim of domestic violence. Only 4 of the 60 cases were found to be moderate or high risk according to the Police risk assessment. The author claims that the findings highlight the importance of having a specialised police and prosecution response for victims of domestic violence who use violence as a way of responding to or retaliating for abuse, rather than for the purpose of controlling or terrorising

nz