The Crime of Threatening to Kill

Abstract

Threatening to kill can be viewed as a coercive communication strategy intended to influence the behavior of the victim. Decision making about social responses to this crime is often problematic and raises a number of issues related to risk assessment. While these threats have been regarded as predictive of future violence, the extent to which data supports this assertion is unknown. This study reports on 102 people charged with threatening to kill who had been referred for psychiatric evaluation. There are at least two pathways leading to the common end point of threatening to kill. People who received criminal sanctions tended to have threatened within the context of a relationship breakdown and more frequently had personality and substance abuse difficulties. Those who received a psychiatric disposal were more often diagnosed with a psychotic disorder and were more likely to have threatened strangers or mental health professionals.