ABSTRACT
Criminal behavior, whether proven or perceived, included women from all social classes, but this category is still overwhelmingly populated by poor, marginalized, and lower-class women whose circumstances were more conducive to certain crimes or who did not have the resources to absolve them of their actions. The crimes described here cover a wide spectrum, from gossip and scolding to infanticide and murder. Women were punished for local transgressions, including shrewish behavior or slander against neighbors, for politically threatening activities, for witchcraft or prostitution, or for creative conning and theft.
