The offending histories of homicide offenders: Are men who kill intimate partners distinct from men who kill other men?

Abstract

Objective: Limited research has studied the offending histories of homicide offenders across victim- offender relationships. An emphasis on offending histories may assist in identifying opportunities for criminal justice interventions, but it remains unclear whether these histories differ across different victim- offender relationship types. The aim of this study is to compare the offending histories of male intimate partner homicide (IPH) offenders and male-on-male homicide (MMH) offenders. Method: The data consist of self-reported offending histories collected through interviews with 203 men convicted of murder or manslaughter in Australia. IPH offenders (n = 68) were compared with MMH offenders (n = 135) across four areas (prevalence, frequency, versatility, and age of onset) using binary logistic regressions. Results: IPH offenders reported lower offending prevalence, less frequent and versatile offending, and later offending onset compared with MMH offenders. Conclusions: Both IPH and MMH offenders have a history of offending, though the extensiveness of this offending differs. Thus, IPH men may be less likely to come to the attention of the criminal justice system and, when they do, they may not be classified as high risk. The challenge is ensuring that other areas of risk are recognized and responded to in appropriate ways through effective screening or surveillance.