Alcoholism and female criminality

Among 66 female felons unselected for psychiatric referral, 31 (47%) were diagnosed alcoholic. This rate is similar to that found in male criminals, whereas in most groups men alcoholics far outnumber women alcoholics. Alcoholism was associated with antisocial personality and homosexuality in this sample, but not with affective disorder. On follow-up 6 years later, 52% of the alcoholic women were in remission. Alcohol abuse was associated with medical problems, with the alcoholic subjects accounting for most deaths, serious medical illness, and psychiatric hospitalizations. Criminal recidivism was not significantly related to alcoholism. The remitted alcoholics did not turn to drugs, and, with one exception, remitted drug-dependent women did not turn to alcohol.