Abstract

The general objective of the study was to describe the extent and type of female involvement in crime and analyse the type of crimes in which women have been most visible. A total of 100 questionnaires were distributed to respondents (inmates.) The location of the study was Kaduna State. The units of response were the female inmates in Kaduna prisons. This was because the female inmates were in a better position to furnish the researcher with the information needed on the socio-economic correlation of female criminality in Nigeria. The result of the study showed that women in Kaduna state committed crimes traditionally attributed to women in the literature, such as stealing and fighting. There were indications that women were getting involved in traditional male crimes such as armed robbery and attempted murder and some actually committed murder. The findings showed that even though female criminality was on the increase, a comparison of the gender distribution of prisoners showed that they were very much underrepresented in the criminal population of the state.