OTTAWA — A new study suggests that female offenders accounted for a small proportion of criminals in 2005 and that, when they did offend, they tended to commit crimes such as theft, common assault, bail violations and fraud.
The Statistics Canada report suggests females aged 12 and up accounted for about one in five people accused of violating the Criminal Code.
Forty-seven per cent of these females were accused of committing a property crime, while another 28 per cent were accused of committing a violation against a person.
In comparison, 39 per cent of males were accused of committing a property offence, and 34 per cent were accused of a violation against a person.
An additional 17 per cent of the females charged allegedly committed violations against the administration of justice, such as bail violations and failure to appear in court.
The remaining 7 per cent were accused of “other” violations against the Criminal Code, such as weapons offences and prostitution.