A Bibliometric Analysis of Female Criminality: Scientific Trends and Insights from the Scopus Database
Abstract
This study concerns the scientific output of Female criminality. The scholarly works published in the Scopus database from 1935 to 2023 were utilized for the quantitative analysis, and the Bibliometrics R Package and its web app Biblioshiny were employed further. The objectives were to analyze the evolution of scientific literature on female criminality from 1935 to 2023, determine relevant sources, identify popular keywords, most influential authors, and their research productivity, explore prominent affiliations and countries contributing to the field, and assess future research directions in female criminality. Research on female criminality, spanning from 1935 to 2023 with 1214 papers in Scopus, has shown significant growth, peaking from 2017 to 2019, indicating increased scholarly interest. Early works laid the foundations; forensic medicine peaked in the late 1970s, and middle-age studies surged in the early 1980s. Themes shifted to broader perspectives by 2023, addressing drug abuse, etc. Specialized journals like Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica and Criminal Behavior and Mental Health focus on psychiatric and substance abuse aspects. Feminist Criminology gained prominence. Research clusters around psychological aspects, substance abuse, and criminal justice interactions. 2014 indicates a peak, with influential work from researchers like Lichtenstein, P., continuing the legacy of earlier scholars like Bohman, M and Ellis, L. indicating ongoing evolution. The research gap highlights the need for interdisciplinary studies that integrate psychological factors with longitudinal research, focusing on how gender and age influence substance abuse and criminal behavior among women and children. Recommendations include interdisciplinary studies, longitudinal research, exploring intersectional factors, bridging the research-policy gap, and emphasizing tailored prevention and intervention programs for women involved in crime.
