Dead Woman Walking: Executed Women in England and Wales, 1900-55

Between 1900 and 1950, 130 women were sentenced to death in England and Wales for murder, but only 12 were executed. This suggests that state servants were more reluctant to hang women than men, but a closer examination of the statistics reveals that this is a misconception due to the high percentage of women murderers who killed their own children. Women who murdered adults had less hope of a reprieve than men.

Format: Hardback
Length: 374 pages
Publication date: 14 June 2019
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Between 1900 and 1950, 130 women in England and Wales were sentenced to death for murder. Surprisingly, only 12 of these women were actually executed, while 91% of their male counterparts had their sentences commuted. This suggests that state servants working within the criminal justice system were more reluctant to hang women than men. However, a closer examination of this apparent discrepancy reveals it to be a misconception.

Unlike men, the vast majority of women murderers have killed their own child or children. When this fact is taken into account, it becomes clear that women who murdered adults had less hope of a reprieve than men. The author argues that this misconception has arisen because of the statistics regarding infanticide. Women who killed their own children were more likely to receive a lenient sentence than those who killed adults, leading to the false impression that women murderers fared better inside the criminal justice system than men.

In conclusion, the author's analysis reveals that the large proportion of women murderers who killed their own children has created a false impression of how female murderers fared inside the criminal justice system. It highlights the need for a more nuanced understanding of the factors that influenced the sentences handed down to women murderers during this period.

Weight: 646g
Dimension: 157 x 227 x 26 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781138737006