DETERMINANTS AND CONSEQUENCES OF FEMALE CRIMINALITY IN NIGERIA

Abstract

Female criminality is a form of crime involving female persons in our society. It is often frowned at when a female person commits a crime. This is regarded by some people as an abnormal phenomenon. The society expects a female person whether a grown up woman or a young girl to be law abiding and should lead exemplary life. In a typical Nigerian situation, a woman is expected to take good care of her children by bringing them up in accordance to the norms and values of the society she lives in. It is therefore unconscionable for a female person who is expected to guide the younger ones as appropriate to become involved in criminality. This definitely may have a ripple effect on the younger ones and the society at large. It is against this background that this paper critically examined the determinants and consequences of female criminality in Nigeria with a view to suggesting long lasting solutions to the menace. This is a theoretical paper that is anchored on the feminist and the social disorganization theories as its theoretical framework. It is in the opinion of this paper that poor educational attainment, low income/poverty and lack of sufficient social network predispose women in the low income brackets into criminality. This further buttresses the need for women empowerment which could be by skill acquisition, provision of soft loans for engaging in small scale enterprises and even creation of employment opportunities. The paper suggested that strong institutional framework should be put in place to curb criminality in Nigeria.