ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses female violence, and its denial, describing how the idealisation of women renders invisible their potential for aggression and re-enactment of trauma. This is particularly true for mothers, who are especially idealised and romanticised. The difficulty of seeing women, in their complexity, agency and capacity for violence, has implications for the assessment and treatment of all female offenders. Despite evidence that women can and do commit acts of violence, against others, notably their intimate partners, their children and, less frequently, against members of the public, the denial of female violence remains an entrenched social prejudice. As Welldon revealed, the intergenerational transmission of maternal violence can be traced across at least three generations of women. Particularly harsh judgements are made in relation to black single mothers, who may be viewed as responsible for perceived violence or criminality in their children.
