Elizabeth Gurian

Pembroke College

Serial and single-incident acts of murder: an exploration of women's solo and partnered offending

Social science, biological, and criminological theory has attempted to explain differences between male and female violence. Yet the establishment of a male-centered measure of aggression has limited exploration into the ways in which women develop and utilize power. Furthermore, Western culture/society and the effects of chivalry justice/paternalism have provided women with ample exonerative excuses for female behavior. According to criminologist Allison Morris (1987) there are "accounts for behavior" that are commonly "acceptable as excuses" (pg. 50). The vocabulary of motive is different for male and female offenders (Mills, 1940; Morris, 1987). There are perhaps three or four rationales for the range of violent acts women commit, which are incorporated into preexisting prejudices about female nature. Abuse, coercion, or various forms of insanity are the most prominent rationales within the female vocabulary of motive (Pearson, 1998). The fourth is the concept of failed suicide, in which a woman will claim that she meant to kill herself, but somehow ended up taking someone else's life instead (Pearson, 1998). Therefore, chivalry justice will continue to operate as long as the justice system has a host of exonerative excuses for female behavior and a highly simplistic vocabulary of motive. This dissertation will explore the criminal justice system's perceptions of women who commit serial or single-incident acts of murder either alone or with a (male) partner. Further, I will incorporate a content analysis of court documents and the media portrayal of these offenders throughout the course of their case(s), and obtain the perspectives regarding these issues of those involved (e.g., defense and prosecution lawyers).

Start Date: 2006/10.

End Date: 2010/10.

Education:

 

• 2001 Boston University Boston, Massachusetts, BS in Human Physiology, Sargent College 
• 2006 Northeastern University Boston, Massachusetts, MS in Criminal Justice  
• 2006-present Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge, Doctoral Researcher 

 

Professional Experience:

 

Nov 2010-March 2011 United Nations, Vienna

Consultant to United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime

Assisted the Division of Policy Analysis and Public Affairs, Statistics and Surveys Section, with research for a planned global report on the crime of intentional homicide. Created a master Excel database with homicide variables for 192 countries; variables include global, regional and sub-regional homicide trends, firearms, typologies, drugs, and victim age/sex. Produced figures, graphs and tables representing the major variables for the report. Assisted in the development a homicide questionnaire to obtain data from a number of the UN's member countries, and obtained support within these countries for its distribution. Supervised a student intern.

 

 

• October 2006 - September 2010 Radzinowicz Library, Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge - Invigilator 
• July 2009 - June 2010 Pembroke Library, Pembroke College, University of Cambridge - Invigilator
• May 2001 - Sept 2006 Children's Hospital Boston - Research Laboratory Supervisor 
• April - September 2005 - Consultant to United Nations Development Programme 

 

Teaching Experience:

• December 2008, March 2009, Autumn Semester, March 2010 Anglia Ruskin University  -   teaching on the undergraduate courses ‘Faces in the Criminal Justice System’, ‘Media and Crime’, ‘Adventures in Criminology’ ‘Theories of Crime, Deviance and Social Control’ and ‘Sex, Sex Offending and Society’

• Summer 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 University of Cambridge, Pembroke College - lecturer on the course ‘The Science of Crime’ for University of California bachelor’s students

• Summer 2008 University of Cambridge, Pembroke/King’s International Programme -        Direct supervision of an undergraduate essay

• Summer 2007, 2008 University of Cambridge, Oxbridge Academic Programs, The Cambridge Tradition -  Guest lecturer on the course ‘Criminology’ for high school students grades 10-12

• University of Cambridge, Staff Development - supervising and small group teaching course 

 

Other Publications:

• Gurian EA, Kinnamon DD, Henry JJ, & Waisbren SE. Expanded newborn screening for biochemical disorders: the effect of a false-positive result. Pediatrics. 2006;117(6):1915-1921 
• Gurian EA, Waisbren SE. The Physical, Emotional, and Financial Trauma Incurred by Infants and Their Families When an Existing Condition Is Not Detected by Newborn Screening: In Reply. Pediatrics 2006; 118: 1802 
• Antshel KM, Gurian EA, & Waisbren SE. Maternal phenylketonuria: a case study suggesting the use of prenatal psychotherapy to help control phenylalanine levels. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry. 2002;72(4):577-584

Peer reviewed journals:

2011 Criminology & Criminal Justice

Reviewer

 

2010 Pediatrics

Reviewer

2010 Feminist Criminology

Reviewer

2010 Journal of Criminal Justice

Reviewer

2009 Journal of Injury and Violence Research

Reviewer

 

Professional Affiliations:

• American Psychology-Law Society - March 2006 annual conference, poster presentation 
• American Society of Criminology, panel and round table presentation (2007), panel presentation (2009) 
• British Society of Criminology

Media:

• 9 Oct 2008: BBC Radio 4 Women's Hour: 'Women who Kill'

 

(Photograph taken by Melissa Gennaccaro Yamada)

 

 

Homicide, serial murder, sexual sadism, violent crime, partnered offending, gender and crime, agency, crime and media

Gurian, EA (2011). Female serial murderers: directions for future research on a

     hidden population. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative    

     Criminology. 55(1)

 

Invited papers

Gurian, EA. (2011). Media portrayals of female homicide offenders. Prison Service Journal. 194: 14-20.

 

Professor Loraine Gelsthorpe

Dr Adrian Grounds and Dr Fiona Brookman