A Study of Violence Use Within a Female Prisoner Population. Exploring the Influence of Experiencing Intimate Partner Violence

The aim of the research undertaken, is to explore violence perpetration in a population of female prisoners who have experienced violence from an intimate partner. A sample of 15 women in prison participated in interviews. Reflexive Thematic Analysis was used to analyse data. 

Six main themes represent shared ideas about how participants believe their experience of violence from an intimate partner relates to their own use of violence. The themes are Lack of Safety, Violence and Power Imbalance, Limits and Lack of Options, Low Self-worth, Internal Experience of Violence, and Violence and Identity. 

Findings are discussed in relation to the evidence base. The extent to which traditional violence models fully explain violence used by women in the current study appears to be limited. It is suggested that trauma models may provide a better fit for understanding violence in this sample of women, and that this has implications for assessment, treatment, and care. The complex context within which violence is both experienced and used by women in the current sample, is raised as critical to understanding their behaviour, which also has implications for systems of care and support.