Women, alcohol dependence and crime.

This gender/age matched inpatient treatment sample of 518 alcohol dependent subjects, confirmed that major crime is infrequent in females. Significantly more arrests occurred in the younger age groups. Crimes of violence were also more common in alcoholics compared with other criminals and this often appeared to relate to premorbid aggressive traits. Trivial offenses were common, particularly in females, and the social definition of minor victimless offenses is questionable. There is no specific alcohol-related personality and the overlap between criminality and alcoholism in the same person might occur in accordance with the laws of probability or factors of inheritance.