Using Homicide Index data to examine the contexts of parricide in England and Wales

• In Event: (re)Conceptualising Homicide in England and Wales

Abstract

Parricide, the killing of parents by their children, is a relatively rare but persistent phenomenon in the UK. Criminological literature on parricide in the UK is sparse, and the contexts are poorly understood. Using Homicide Index data for England and Wales covering a period of 13 years, our analysis revealed that parricide is a gendered form of homicide, with women over-represented as victims (compared to homicide per se) and men overwhelmingly the perpetrators. The Homicide Index data also indicate that patricide (the killing of fathers) and matricide (the killing of mothers) are contextually distinctive phenomena. However, there are important limitations in the Homicide Index data, including poor recording of mental illness, which render important characteristics invisible, particularly of matricide. Although this national source of data is valuable, the limitations (evidenced by alternative data sources) highlight the need for more accurate administrative data on homicide and matricide, which we argue is a hidden form of femicide. Through a full contextual understanding of patricides and matricides, lessons can be learned, and prevention strategies can be developed to begin to address these complex forms of homicide.

Authors

• Rachel Condry, Centre for Criminology, University of Oxford

• Caroline Miles, University of Manchester