For Immediate Release
Random Acts of Violence Very Rarely Committed by Women
Contact: Kathryn Ryan
914-740-2250
kryan@liebertpub.com
New Rochelle, NY, December 1, 2016–The abduction of Sherri Papini by two women may set a new and important precedent for understanding random acts of violence. It is extremely rare for women to commit random acts of violence according to the peer-reviewed journal Violence and Gender, the journal of record for understanding the role gender plays in violent acts.
“Studies have shown that random acts of violence are almost always committed by men,” says Mary Ann Liebert, publisher of Violence and Gender and founder and CEO of the company that bears her name. “This must be taken into account as the investigation continues. If the allegations that two women kidnapped and abused Papini are proved true, this represents a new and extremely important finding that must be studied further.”
Violence and Gender Editor-in-Chief Mary Ellen O’Toole, PhD, Director of the Forensic Sciences Program, George Mason University, Forensic Behavioral Consultant, and Senior FBI Profiler/Criminal Investigative Analyst (ret.), says:
- This case raises a lot of inconsistencies and questions that must be answered in order to understand if this case is an aberration from more typical kidnapping cases, or there are other reasons why this crime occurred.
- When multiple kidnappers are involved, it is not unusual to see a male and a female. But for two females to have committed a kidnapping is extremely rare.
- One of the reasons that kidnapping is almost exclusively a male crime is the presence of predatory behavior. Predatory or hunting behavior is an integral part of the act of kidnapping. Male offenders frequently manifest predatory or hunting behavior in their crimes.
- Women, while capable of significant violence, even cruelty, do not manifest predatory behavior in their violence.
Violence and Gender is the only peer-reviewed journal focusing on the understanding, prediction, and prevention of acts of violence and the role that gender plays in those acts. Complete information including sample content may be viewed on the Violence and Gender website at www.liebertpub.com/com.
To reach Mary Ellen O’Toole, contact kryan@liebertpub.com
About the Publisher
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals and conferences. A complete list of the firm's 80 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available on Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. website.