Sentencing Disparities between Male and Female Armed Robbery Convicts in Nigeria

It is assumed that when males and females are arrested and charged for armed robbery, females are more likely to get shorter sentence lengths than males. This paper tried to ascertain if this narration is consistent with female armed robbery convicts in Nigeria. It therefore examined female armed robbery convicts’ sentences in line with the male counterparts. It anchored on anomie theory. Cross-sectional exploratory research design was adopted. In-depth interview (IDI) was used to collect data from a total of 80 purposively selected convicts; 57 females and 23 males in custody from three states in southwest, Nigeria. Data collected was transcribed, coded and thematically analyzed. The study shows that in Nigeria, sentencing of armed robbery convicts is based on the criminal code, roles played, level of involvements, criminal history and extralegal factors. Majority of the female convicts played supportive roles which earned them shorter sentence lengths, while a few got same sentences with the male counterparts. The study concluded that sentencing of armed robbery offenders is gender-blind in Nigeria. It therefore, recommended that family and community-based approaches should be deployed to address females’ involvements in armed robbery through renewed value orientation, cultural rejuvenation and female child education.