Female Intimate Partner Homicide Research Articles

Global and Regional Estimates of Female Intimate Partner and Family-Related Homicide

Based on national data collected by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) from 105 countries and territories, this study estimates that nearly 49,000 women and girls worldwide were killed by their intimate partners or other family members in 2022. Using annual data from the Americas and Europe as well as monthly data from 14 countries in various regions, the study also shows that regional and national trends in female intimate partner/family-related homicide were highly heterogeneous during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. UNODC produces global and regional estimates of female intimate partner and family-related homicide to shed light on the magnitude of the problem and to inform advocacy, policies, and programs to end such killings.

Health care utilization, mental disorders and behavioural disorders among perpetrators of intimate partner homicide in 2000-2016: A registry-based case-control study from Sweden.

Little is known about intimate partner homicide (IPH) perpetrator´s healthcare contacts and mental health problems before the killing. The aim was to compare male and female IPH perpetrators with matched controls from the general population by analysing differences in healthcare utilization and mental and behavioural disorders. This study includes 48 males and 10 females who perpetrated IPH between 2000 and 2016 in the Västra Götaland Region of Sweden. Controls (n = 458) were randomly selected from the general population and matched for sex, birth year and residential area. Data were retrieved from the Swedish National Patient Register and the Western Swedish Healthcare Register. Mental and behavioural disorders were classified according to ICD-10 (F00-F99). The Mann-Whitney U test was used to test for differences in health care utilization and mental and behavioural disorders. Compared to their controls, male perpetrators had more registered contacts with primary care ≤ 30 (p = < .001) and ≤ 365 days (p = .019), respectively, before the homicide; with specialist outpatient care ≤ 30 (p = < .001) and ≤ 365 days (p = < .001), respectively, before the homicide: and with inpatient care ≤ 30 (p = < .001) and ≤ 365 days (p = .024), respectively, before the homicide. Female perpetrators had more specialized outpatient care (p = .040) and inpatient care (p = .003) contacts ≤ 365 days before the homicide, compared to controls. Male perpetrators had at least one mental or behavioral disorder diagnosed in any studied healthcare setting except in inpatient care ≤ 30 days before homicide. Female perpetrators had more mental health disorders diagnosed in specialized outpatient care ≤ 365 days before the homicide (p < .001). Perpetrators had more healthcare contacts and mental disorders one year and one month prior to the homicide compared to their controls. Health care professionals should obtain necessary skills in routinely enquiring about intimate partner violence perpetration.

Firearm Legislation and Firearm Use in Female Intimate Partner Homicide Using National Violent Death Reporting System Data, 2015–2019

Firearm Legislation and Firearm Use in Female Intimate Partner Homicide Using National Violent Death Reporting System Data, 2015–2019

Psychopathy and Female-Intimate Partner Homicide in Spain: A Brief Overview on recent research

Some studies that assessed psychopathic characteristics through the PCL-R in some different but complementary samples of male offenders convicted for a crime of Intimate Partner Homicide (IPH) in recent research carried out in Spain are commented in this article, based on my opinion and technical considerations. This research arose from a comprehensive project carried out by a National Team of expert reviewers in the cases of violence against the women in the couple relationship. Some preliminary findings were presented in the Congress of Legal and Forensic Psychology in 2018 in Granada. It is highlighted the relevance of the congresses to disseminate findings. In 2023, one article has been published in the journal Anuario de Psicología Jurídica. The main objective was to assess the prevalence of psychopathy and the psychopathic characteristics measured by the facets of the PCL-R, and then their relationship with both consummated and unsuccessful suicide attempts was analyzed. Also, other scholars published a previous article in the year 2022 in which they compared the presence of some different characteristics between the victims (e.g., addictions to substances, economic dependency, or prior complaint, among others) and the male offenders psychopathic characteristics, measured in a slightly larger sample.

Perceptions of female-perpetrated intimate partner homicide – Construction and initial validation of a novel scale

Key digested messageWomen who commit intimate partner homicide (IPH) are often described in stereotypical ways, such as unfeminine and therefore beyond explanation. Previous research suggests that stereotypical viewpoints have an impact in trial situations. To investigate the extent to which stereotypical beliefs play a part in sentencing, a scale was developed, to measure attitudes towards female perpetrators of IPH. The current project tests the developed scale, which measures attitudes towards female perpetrators of intimate partner homicide in the United Kingdom. Following an extensive review of the literature, a total of 107 items were generated overall, reflecting the stereotypical categories. An expert pool analysed how well each item reflected the category to which it was assigned. This research identified four factors associated with stereotyping of female intimate partner homicide perpetrators, suggesting that specific concepts exist in relation to attitudes towards female homicide perpetrators. The scale could assist in jury verdicts.

Prevalence of Psychopathy, Intimate Partner Homicide, and Suicide Risk in Spain

The most extreme form of intimate partner violence against women (IPVAW) is female intimate partner homicide (female IPH). The main goal of this study was to analyze the prevalence of psychopathy in a sample of Spanish male offenders of female IPH. This study also aimed to examine the relationship between psychopathy and committing suicide after female IPH in a sample of 76 Spanish male offenders of female IPH. We examined the presence or lack of psychopathic traits or psychopathy itself, using the two factors and four facets of the Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R). Applying this procedure, we obtained a series of descriptive statistics and frequencies, to which we applied Student’s t-test and variance analyses. We found a low prevalence of subjects diagnosed as psychopath at a cut-off score equal or greater than 30 on the PCL-R, but a higher prevalence was found with a cut-off score of 25. The presence of factor I traits (personality and interpersonal characteristics) was greater than factor II (impulsive and antisocial behavior) among female IPH offenders. Higher scores on factor II and lower on factor I were related to an increased risk of suicide after committing female IPH. The study data support international research showing a significant presence of factor I traits (e.g., callousness and lack of empathy) among IPH offenders. Also, these data support that those male offenders of female IPH who presents characteristics of impulsivity and antisocial behavior do tend to commit suicide more frequently after committing female IPH.

Socio-demographic and psychosocial characteristics of male and female perpetrators in intimate partner homicide: A case-control study from Region Västra Götaland, Sweden.

Risk factor studies on male-perpetrated intimate partner homicide (IPH) are often compared with studies on intimate partner violence (IPV) or non-partner homicide perpetrators. This not only excludes female perpetrators, but also fails to take socio-demographic and psychosocial differences between perpetrators and the general population into consideration. The aim of this study was to examine male- and female-perpetrated IPH cases, and to compare socio-demographic factors in IPH perpetrators and in matched controls from the general population. Data were retrieved from preliminary inquiries, court records and national registers for 48 men and 10 women, who were perpetrators of IPH committed in 2000–2016 and residing in Region Västra Götaland, Sweden. The control group consisted of 480 men and 100 women matched for age, sex and residence parish. Logistic regression, yielding odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI), was performed for male perpetrators and male controls to investigate associations for selected socio-demographic and psychosocial characteristics. This was not performed for females due to the small sample size. Female perpetrators were convicted of murder to a lesser extent than male perpetrators. No woman was sentenced to life imprisonment while five men were. Jealousy and separation were the most common motivational factors for male perpetration while the predominant factor for female perpetrators was subjection to IPV. Statistically significant differences were found between male perpetrators and male controls in unemployment rate (n = 47.9%/20.6%; OR 4.4; 95% CI 2.2–8.6), receiving benefits (n = 20.8%/4.8%; OR 5.2; 95% CI 2.3–11.7) and annual disposable income (n = 43.8%/23.3% low income; OR 5.2; 95% CI 1.9–14.2) one year prior to the crime. Female IPH perpetrators were less educated than female controls (≤ 9-year education 30%/12%) and were more often unemployed (70%/23%) one year before the crime. Male and female IPH perpetrators were socio-economically disadvantaged, compared with controls from the general population.

Consent and the ‘Rough Sex’ Defence in Rape, Murder, Manslaughter and Gross Negligence

When women die at the hands of men, a not infrequent defence is that she consented to, or initiated, the beating, strangulation and penetration which contributed to her death. While strangulation has been a typical method of killing in male on female intimate partner homicide 1 for many decades (‘thou little recognised), what has changed is men’s excuses for their violence. Excuses such as ‘She made me lose my self-control in an argument’ or ‘She was unfaithful to me’ are being supplanted by ‘She consented to rough sex’. 2 Since the dead cannot speak, nor is there any property in the dead, the defendant’s tactic of impugning the deceased’s character cannot be easily rebutted, and he, while maligning her in this way, may profit from a lighter sentence. Law reformers, politicians, academics and activists 3 are pressing for legal reform to shut down this misogyny. On 16 June 2020, during the Public Committee stage of the Domestic Abuse Bill, 4 cls 4 and 5 were approved. Clause 4, ‘No defence for consent to death’, provides ‘(1) If a person (“A”) wounds, assaults or asphyxiates another person (“B”) to whom they are personally connected as defined in section 2 of this Act causing death, it is not a defence to a prosecution that B consented to the infliction of injury. (2) Subsection (1) applies whether or not the death occurred in the course of a sadomasochistic encounter’. Clause 5, ‘No defence for consent to injury’, provides ‘(1) If a person (“A”) wounds, assaults or asphyxiates another person (“B”) to whom they are personally connected as defined in section 2 of this Act causing actual bodily harm or more serious injury, it is not a defence to a prosecution that B consented to the infliction of injury or asphyxiation. (2) Subsection (1) applies whether or not the actual bodily harm, non-fatal strangulation, or more serious injury occurred in the course of a sadomasochistic encounter’. These two new clauses would prevent the alleged consent of the victim from being used as a defence to a prosecution in intimate partner homicides and non-fatal assault which result in s 47 assault occasioning actual bodily harm, Offences Against the Person Act 1861, or more serious injury. Additional new clauses including, proposing that consent of the Director of Public Prosecutions would be required, in the case of death, to accept a charge to anything less than murder (cl 6); the requirement to consult with the family of the deceased regarding charges (cl 7); the prohibition of reference to sexual history of the deceased in domestic homicide trials (cl 10); anonymity of victims of domestic homicide (cl 11); and anonymity of domestic violence survivors (cl 14); the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Alex Chalk), while sympathetic, said there were difficulties with the clauses in their present form. 5 Of the proposal to make non-fatal strangulation 6 (cl 8) a standalone offence, he considered that ‘creating a new offence could limit the circumstances covered, and create additional evidential burdens’. 7 These motions reflect the several debates since October 2019, when MPs, Harriet Harman and Mark Garnier, introduced the ‘No defence for consent’ amendment to the second reading of the Domestic Abuse Bill. 8 Since men also plead the ‘sexual consent defence’ on ‘first dates’, which may fall outside the definition of ‘domestic abuse’ as set out in the Bill, 9 a loophole also recognised by Alex Chalk at the Public Committee stage, 16 June 2020, this too will be addressed. 10 The murder of Grace Millane, in New Zealand 11 in 2018, murdered on a ‘first date’ provides such an example.

Trading Places: Microlevel Predictors of Women Who Commit Intimate Partner Homicide

Intimate partner homicide (IPH) research has established the importance of the offender’s gender regarding motivations, situations, and structures present in the offense. However, little is known about female IPH perpetrators’ microlevel characteristics, despite research indicating female IPH offense numbers are closer to males’ than in other homicide types. To fill this gap, the current exploratory study assesses the likelihood of female-perpetrated IPH by the couples demographics, weapon type, relationship status, and regional location of the homicide. Using data from the Supplementary Homicide Reports (SHR), results show microlevel gender-specific differences. Female, compared to male, IPH perpetrators more often kill in intraracial, compared to interracial relationships, and are more likely to kill in dating rather than marital relationships.

Association of State Firearm Legislation With Female Intimate Partner Homicide

The aim of this study was to assess the association between state firearm legislation and female intimate partner homicide. In 2017, the authors conducted a secondary data analysis of 16 states from 2010 to 2014, using data from the National Violent Death Reporting System, the State Firearm Law Database, and additional public sources. Poisson regression analyses quantified the association between the number of state restrictive firearm legislative provisions and the female population-based intimate partner homicide rate. For etiologic reasons, intimate partner homicide was disaggregated into homicide-suicide (intimate partner homicide followed by perpetrator suicide) and homicide-only intimate partner homicide (intimate partner homicide in the absence of perpetrator suicide). There were 1,693 female intimate partner homicide deaths in the 16 states during 2010-2014; 67% were homicide-only intimate partner homicide. The number of state-level legislative provisions related to firearm restrictions ranged from four (Alaska) to 95 (Massachusetts). The intimate partner homicide rate in states with zero to 39 provisions was 1.16 per 100,000 person years (95% CI=1.10, 1.22) and in states with >40 provisions was 0.68 per 100,000 person years (95% CI=0.61, 0.72). The incidence of female intimate partner homicide was 56% lower in states with ≥40 legislative provisions (adjusted incidence rate ratio=0.44, 95% CI=0.28, 0.68), relative to states with zero to 39 provisions. This protective association was stronger for homicide-only intimate partner homicide than homicide-suicide intimate partner homicide. More state-level restrictive firearm legislation is associated with a lower rate of female intimate partner homicides.

Firearm legislation and firearm use in female intimate partner homicide using National Violent Death Reporting System data

Firearms account for over half of female intimate partner homicides (IPH) in the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS). Although firearm-related IPH is directly associated with state-level firearm prevalence and inversely associated with specific firearm legislation targeting intimate partner violence perpetrators, these associations may be due to the underlying nature of the perpetrator population rather than the legislation or policy. We explored the impact of firearm legislation on weapon use in IPH in a cross-sectional analysis using NVDRS data via the WISQARS online interactional system, through examination of firearm (F) and non-firearm (NF) age-adjusted mortality rates and firearm: non-firearm (F:NF) rate ratios across victim gender and in states with varying levels of firearm restrictions. Overall, for 2015 (27 states aggregated), the impact of gender was substantial: the F:NF ratio for male victims was 0.92, indicating a small lead for NF mechanisms, but for female victims, it was 1.5, with greater firearm use apparent. When looking only at female IPH, jurisdictions with high firearm restrictions show a pronounced trend for a F:NF ratio <1.0 whereas states with few of these restrictions demonstrate ratios >1.0. Numerous limitations apply, including: the cross sectional nature of the data, varying years for available state data; and lack of control for multiple demographic variables. Despite its limitations, this analysis extends prior research by comparing rates of NF use across jurisdictions, and suggests that availability of firearms by itself plays an important role in driving IPH rates higher in areas with fewer firearm restrictions.

Place, Injury Patterns, and Female-Victim Intimate Partner Homicide.

Research demonstrates place matters in the study of intimate partner violence (IPV) and intimate partner homicide (IPH) with rural women experiencing more severe IPV and a higher risk of IPH. In addition, research points to variations in injury patterns with intimates characterized by more wounds and facial injuries. Little is known whether injury for female IPH victims differs across place; however, research suggests that abuse is a product of a larger social context. Using data from the National Violent Death Reporting System, results indicate that some variations exist based on degree of urbanicity of the county in which the IPH occurred.

Differentiating Male and Female Intimate Partner Homicide Perpetrators: A Study of Social, Criminological and Clinical Factors

It is recognized that the majority of intimate partner homicide (IPH) victims are female; simultaneously, when females do commit homicide, they are more likely to perpetrate against an intimate partner. To date, there are only a few studies that discuss IPH across gender, leading to a gap of knowledge with regard to gender aspects of perpetration. The present nationwide study has a retrospective design, based on registries of all female (n = 9) and stratified male (n = 36) IPH committed in Sweden between 2007 and 2009. Our study suggests that female perpetrators are more likely to be unemployed, to have suffered from a substance abuse disorder at some point in life and to have been victimized by the victim. In other words, scrutiny of these characteristics reveals that females who commit partner-related homicides are qualitatively and clinically different from their male counterparts. Furthermore, the prevailing feature of intoxication in connection to the crime, both in male and female perpetrators, indicates that perpetrators might benefit from elements of substance abuse treatment in interventions targeting partner violence.

The global prevalence of intimate partner homicide: a systematic review

Homicide is an important cause of premature mortality globally, but evidence for the magnitude of homicides by intimate partners is scarce and hampered by the large amount of missing information about the victim-offender relationship. The objective of the study was to estimate global and regional prevalence of intimate partner homicide. A systematic search of five databases (Medline, Global Health, Embase, Social Policy, and Web of Science) yielded 2167 abstracts, and resulted in the inclusion of 118 full-text articles with 1122 estimates of the prevalence of intimate partner homicide after double-blind screening. All studies were included that reported the number or proportion of women or men who were murdered by an intimate partner in a country, province, or town, using an inclusive definition of an intimate partner. Additionally, a survey of official sources of 169 countries provided a further 53 estimates. We selected one estimate per country-year using a quality assessment decision algorithm. The median prevalence of intimate partner homicide was calculated by country and region overall, and for women and men separately. Data were obtained for 66 countries. Overall 13·5% (IQR 9·2-18·2) of homicides were committed by an intimate partner, and this proportion was six times higher for female homicides than for male homicides (38·6%, 30·8-45·3, vs 6·3%, 3·1-6·3). Median percentages for all (male and female) and female intimate partner homicide were highest in high-income countries (all, 14·9%, 9·2-18·2; female homicide, 41·2%, 30·8-44·5) and in southeast Asia (18·8%, 11·3-18·8; 58·8%, 58·8-58·8). Adjustments to account for unknown victim-offender relationships generally increased the prevalence, suggesting that results presented are conservative. At least one in seven homicides globally and more than a third of female homicides are perpetrated by an intimate partner. Such violence commonly represents the culmination of a long history of abuse. Strategies to reduce homicide risk include increased investment in intimate partner violence prevention, risk assessments at different points of care, support for women experiencing intimate partner violence, and control of gun ownership for people with a history of violence. Improvements in country-level data collection and monitoring systems are also essential, because data availability and quality varied strongly across regions. WHO, Sigrid Rausing Trust, and the UK Economic and Social Research Council.

Singularités cliniques et criminologiques de l’uxoricide : éléments de compréhension du meurtre conjugal

Female intimate partner homicide (FIPH) is a fatal complication of domestic violence. The aim of this study was to describe the socio-demographic, clinical and criminological characteristics of male perpetrators of FIPH and to compare them to the perpetrators of extrafamilial homicide and the perpetrators of intrafamilial homicide other than FIPH. Between 1975 and 2005, 32FIPH were perpetrated in the region of Angers (France), and these were compared to 26intrafamilial homicides other than FIPH and to 97extrafamilial homicides perpetrated in the same period, in the same region. The socio-demographic, clinical and criminological data were collected from psychiatric expert reports and medical files. The mean age of the FIPH perpetrators was 37.8years. They were professionally active, in majority as manual workers. They had a psychiatric record (69%), a previous criminal record (31%), and a history of violence against others (47%). Half of these perpetrators also had experienced a traumatic event before the age of 18. Compared to extrafamilial homicide perpetrators, FIPH perpetrators occupied more frequently a manual job and had prior criminal records less frequently. In the majority of cases of FIPH and intrafamilial homicide, the murder occurred in the evening, at the victim's home, and while the perpetrator was intoxicated. FIPH was mostly premeditated and was accompanied four times less frequently by another criminal behaviour compared to extrafamilial homicide. The FIPH perpetrators had more depressive symptoms and suicidal ideations when committing the crime and remained on the crime scene more often than extrafamilial homicide perpetrators who mostly attempted to flee the crime scene. FIPH perpetrators and extra- and intrafamilial homicide perpetrators were found criminally responsible in half of the cases. The socio-demographic, clinical and criminological characteristics of FIPH perpetrators were not statistically different from those of perpetrators of another intrafamilial homicide except that conflict preceded FIPH more frequently. Identification of specific features of FIPH could contribute to the early identification of domestic violence at risk of becoming lethal and to the elaboration of preventive strategies.

P-653 - Socio-demographic, clinical and criminological characteristics of female intimate partner homicide

A female spouse homicide occurs in France every two days, in majority of cases after an episode of physical violence against the woman. Our objective was to determine socio-demographic, clinical and criminological characteristics of the male authors of a spouse homicide. We have studied 210 records of psychiatric expertise of homicides perpetrated between 1995 and 2005 in West of France. We have analyzed the socio-demographic, clinical and criminological characteristics of the authors of a female intimate partner homicide (n = 30) and compared to the authors of a non female intimate partner homicide (n = 180). The authors of a female intimate partner homicide were older (38.4 years old (yo) versus 32.7 yo, p = .019) and had significantly more frequently a personal history of violence (50% versus 28%, p = .045) than the authors of a non-female intimate partner homicide. Compared to the non-female spouse homicides, female spouse homicides were not associated with other criminal behaviours (6.7% versus 21.7%, p = .055). A mental disorder was found in the minority of cases (13.3% versus 18,.3%, p = .506). Paranoid delusional disorder was the most frequent severe mental disorder in the authors of female intimate partner homicide (10%). Our results confirm the general and the specific risk factors of violence in female intimate-partner homicide. Legal and health care professionals should be aware that women are vulnerable to intimate partner violence and homicide from both nonmarital and former partners as well as from current husbands. The history of domestic violence should be researched by the clinicians.

Understanding the Change in Male and Female Intimate Partner Homicide Over Time

Research on intimate partner homicide has increased along with public awareness and policy responses toward domestic violence. The current study addresses the decline in gender-specific intimate partner homicides during a time marked by significant transformations in domestic violence legislation, including the enactment of the 1994 Violence Against Women’s Act. In an attempt to account for changes in intimate partner homicide during this time period, we examine the exposure reducing potential of domesticity, domestic violence resources, and females’ economic status, while also acknowledging their possible backlash/retaliation effects when accounting for inequalities in the economic statuses of males and females. By incorporating a pooled time-series design to model change, our research reveals changes between 1990 and 2000 in key theoretical predictors of domesticity, domestic violence resources, and economic deprivation significantly influence the trends in male-victim intimate partner homicide, but not female-victim intimate partner homicide for a large sample of 178 urban cities.

Gender-Specific Risk Factors for Intimate Partner Homicide

The present study examined gender differences in intimate partner homicide (IPH) and offender characteristics with the focus on putative gender-specific risk factors in a nationwide consecutive sample of homicide offenders. Data on all offenders (N = 642; 91 females, 551 males) convicted of homicide and subjected to a forensic psychiatric examination in Finland were obtained for the years 1995 and 2004. IPH offenders, 39 female and 106 male, were compared for risk factors with female and male offenders whose victims were not spouses. The forensic psychiatric examination reports were retrospectively analyzed, and the Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) was rated. Significant gender differences were found in four risk factors: employment, intoxication of victim, self-defense, and quarrel, mostly related to alcohol as a factor of the offense. The findings support the notion that female IPH is linked to defensive reactions resulting from prior abuse, and that IPH offenders resemble the general population more than offenders of other types of homicide.

Reducing intimate partner homicides: The effects of federally-funded shelter service availability in California

Over twenty-five years of policy and scholarly attention to the problem of intimate partner violence appears to have generated greater victim safety. Intimate partner homicides, the most serious form of violence between intimates, have been declining for nearly three decades in many contexts, but not all. This study built on a small number of studies that had advanced knowledge about the policy-relevant factors behind the intimate partner homicide decline. The analysis described here utilized a set of county-level data from California from 1987 to 2000 to estimate the effects of shelter-based service availability on race/ethnicity-specific female intimate partner homicide victimization. The study relied on a new measure of service availability in an attempt to overcome limitations with previously used indicators. This analysis did not reveal an effect of shelter-based service availability and criminal justice system responses on changes in female intimate partner homicide victimizations. Reasons for these findings and suggestions for future research are discussed.

A Comparison of Intimate Partner Homicide to Intimate Partner Homicide–Suicide

The authors compare cases of female intimate partner homicide-suicide to female intimate partner homicide alone to describe risk factors and suggest prevention strategies, including strategies in the medical setting. Differences are found between the types of cases in marital relationship, age, blood alcohol, and the use of firearms. Physicians and other health care providers who treat victims of intimate partner violence and patients at risk for suicide should be aware of the interwoven risk factors within these populations. Interventions aimed at suicide prevention as well as targeted removal of firearms should be investigated as tools in the prevention of intimate partner homicide.