A survey of male homicide cases resident in an English special hospital.
The study examines a sample of 120 male special hospital patients whose index offence was one of homicide. Demographic, criminological and psychiatric details are described and the characteristics of those committing psychotic and non-psychotic homicides are compared. The results generally confirmed most of the findings reported in international studies of abnormal homicide. Compared with other studies on in-patient populations we found a greater than expected proportion of non-psychotic homicide offenders, the majority of whom had a clinical diagnosis of personality disorder. Key factors distinguishing psychotic from non-psychotic homicide included a pre-offence criminal history, the objective relationship between perpetrator and victim and the behaviour after the offence. Psychotic men were less likely to have a prior history of criminality and substance abuse than their non-psychotic pears but they were more likely to have had previous contact with the psychiatric services and to have known their victims. Compared with the non-psychotic group the majority of psychotic offenders remained at the crime scene or summoned help. A marked age differential between psychotic and nonpsychotic offenders was not apparent in this study.
Dolan
M
M
Ashworth Hospital, Maghull, Liverpool.
Parry
J
J
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004739:England / Q000453:epidemiology; D005555:Forensic Psychiatry; D006708:Homicide / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009042:Motivation; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors