Offending Trajectories in an Australian Birth Cohort: Differences and Similarities Across Sex

Abstract

Despite the rise in female offending, we know little about how female offending patterns vary with age and how they compare to those of males. In this study, we used linked administrative data from a 1983 and 1984 Australian birth cohort ( N = 83,362) to estimate offending trajectories separately for males and females and to examine how these patterns vary within and across sex. Results indicated that there was significant heterogeneity within sex, with five offending trajectories identified separately for both males and females. Males and females classified in chronic offending trajectories had the highest mean number of offenses than all other groups, and Indigenous females were more likely than non-Indigenous males to populate chronic and early adult-onset trajectory groups. The findings highlight the importance of recognizing the heterogeneity of female offending pathways to inform effective, targeted, and timely policies and interventions to reduce female offending.