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WOMEN, MURDER, AND CAPITAL PUNISHMENT
Pracifanie Holmes
CRJ 99
Professor Toja
The Death Penalty
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WOMEN, MURDER, AND CAPITAL PUNISHMENT
Women and the Death Penalty
Although sta)s)cs reveal that it is extremely rare for women to be convicted of murder,
it is undeniable that murder by women does occur. In London, while there were 581
prosecu)ons of men and 2.5 percent indictments, women only counted for one percent of all
indictments for violent crime. One-third of these women were convicted for killing infants
within the 4rst year of birth, and about one half of the indictments were for willful murder.
Another controversial topic that receives a tremendous amount of a5en)on is whether or not it
is humane to put a woman to death. Although it does occur, it is extremely rare that females
receive the death penalty and are actually put to death. Present day America has made
provisions to the Bill of Rights in which prohibit cruel and unusual punishment under the Eighth
Amendment. Under these provisions, the death penalty is not allowed in many states, and is
rarely used.
Society does not often feel threatened by women. In the eighteenth century in Europe,
very few indictments for violent crimes by women were made. This suggests that there was
li5le interest in female crime. Men may have felt embarrassed to report female violence in
being that it was an insult to their masculinity. In past years researchers were more fascinated in
studying factors that have driven men to commit murder than studying murder in rela)on to
women. Studies on violence by males against females are more common than studies on female
violence against men. In the eighteenth century in Europe, there were three ways in which an
individual could be charged with pe5y treason. This may happen by a servant killing his master,
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WOMEN, MURDER, AND CAPITAL PUNISHMENT
a wife killing her husband, or the killing by a ministerial to his superior. Women were very
seldom charged with pe)t treason for killing their husbands.
Women in London were o7en treated with way more leniency than men were. The
courts charged way less women with murder than men. While approximately forty women were
charged, over eight )mes the number of men were charged with serious crimes. Those women
who were charged for commi9ng murder were o7en in their early forty’s. Many women who
were in their twen)es when put on trial got o; on property crimes because of sympathy for the
principle of marital coercion. Due to the role of women in the household, those who commi5ed
murder were most likely found guilty of killing those individuals who they were around on a
daily basis. These individuals were the husbands, children, friends, neighbors, and co-workers of
these women. Not only were women rarely convicted of killing individuals whom they were
familiar with, but they were almost never convicted of stranger murder. However, those women
who were found guilty were many )mes found guilty of commi9ng murder publicly. Twenty–
4ve percent of women indicted were found to have committed murder in public loca)ons.
Hos)le rela)onships, drugs, alcohol, and mental illness were often factors found in these
instances where women were found guilty of murder.
When women were indicted for violent crimes such as murder, they were more o7en
found innocent than guilty. For instance in a consensus, juries acqui5ed 46 women, and only 29
women were found guilty. Of these 29 women, every last one of them were found guilty of
reduced charges. Courts realized that emotional responses by women under diAcult condition
could lead to violence. This is a reason for empathy towards women and gives the courts a
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WOMEN, MURDER, AND CAPITAL PUNISHMENT
reason to reduce murder charges. Courts have also recognized that in the rare occurrences of
murder by women, they are often le7 with the alterna)ve to defend themselves. When the
action of women violate feminine expecta)ons, they are treated with harsher sentences.
In a study conducted on child killing by parents in 1984, London, the case of 41 year old
Dianne further proved the notion that the rare occurrences of murder by women are committed
under diAcult circumstances. Dianna beat her disabled son with a broom and then repeatedly
stabbed him with a knife a7er a heated argument with her husband over her son. Her husband
Carl would verbally abuse his step son, and would argue with his wife about being too lenient
with him. Dianne would repeatedly defend her son and was blamed for destroying her marriage
in doing so. During the years leading up to Dianne’s son’s death, she a5empted to commit
