A research note on suicidal behaviour as a precursor to domestic homicide, with a coda on trends in femicide before, during and after Covid

• In Event: Roundtable: Trends in Intimate Partner Homicide During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Theoretical Explanations and Criminal Policy Implications

Abstract

This presentation focuses on suicidal behavior as a risk factor for domestic homicide and the need for collaborative efforts between various agencies to identify and intervene in high-risk cases. First, it challenges the assumptions that domestic homicides are always foreseeable due to escalating violence and that police or other agencies should have predicted that risk. In fact, research shows that a significant proportion of high-harm cases have no prior police contact. Against that background, the presentation highlights the difficulty in predicting serious harm from the large number of domestic abuse calls received by the police and the unreliability of risk assessment tools like DASH. Conversely, several studies suggest that suicidal ideation and self-harm by perpetrators are important markers for domestic homicide risk, with perpetrators showing higher prevalence rates compared to the general population. In that perspective, the presentation emphasizes the need for greater engagement and cooperation between police and non-police agencies (e.g., health and social services) in identifying high-risk individuals and families, as these agencies may be more likely to become aware of precursors to domestic homicide.

Author

• Heather Strang, Cambridge University