Dr Tess Patterson1, Linda Hobbs1, Elliott Brown1, Dr Melissa Purnell1, Gabrielle Pan1
1University Of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
Biography:
Dr Tess Patterson is an Associate Professor and Head of the Psychological Medicine Department, University of Otago, New Zealand. Her research focuses on harmful sexual behaviour, both in terms of those who perpetrate the harm and also in relation to those who are victims of sexual harm. In addition, she is a practising Clinical Psychologist providing assessment and treatment to persons who have experienced sexual harm.
Reported prevalence rates indicate that females are responsible for between 4% – 5% of all sexual offences. Despite growing recognition that females can engage in harmful sexual behaviour comparable in severity and type to that of males, existing research suggests a potential leniency bias in sentencing outcomes toward female sexual offenders (FSOs). Specifically, FSOs are less likely to receive prison sentences, and even when they do, those sentences tend to be shorter than those given to male sexual offenders (MSOs). Gendered social norms are often cited as a contributing factor to this observed leniency. In the present study, we examined judicial sentencing outcomes for matched cases of female and male sexual offending in New Zealand, Australia, and Canada. Consistent with previous research, our findings showed that MSOs were more likely than FSOs to be sentenced to prison. However, a more complex picture emerged when we focused on cases where a prison sentence was imposed. For sentences shorter that 60 months, FSOs received shorter sentences than MSOs. Conversely, for sentences exceeding 60 months, MSOs received shorter sentences than FSOs. These findings will be discussed in the context of gendered social norms, unconscious bias and theoretical frameworks such as the Chivalry Hypothesis and the Evil Woman Hypothesis.