NCJ Number
175890
Journal
Psychiatric Services Volume: 47 Issue: 4 Dated: April 1996 Pages: 403-406
Date Published
1996
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This Finnish study examined data on persons known to have committed homicide during a 13-year period, so as to determine factors associated with increased risk of repeating homicide.
Abstract
Between 1981 and 1993, a total of 1,649 homicides were committed in Finland. In 1,089 cases (66 percent), the offenders received an exhaustive forensic psychiatric examination. Data from reports of these examinations were analyzed to determine whether mental disorder and other factors were associated with homicide recidivism. A total of 36 homicide recidivists were identified. Twenty-four were alcoholics; 23 had a personality disorder, in most cases combined with alcoholism; 4 had schizophrenia; and 2 had major depression. Homicidal behavior was 10 times more likely in men who had committed a previous homicide than in the general male population. Alcoholism increased the odds ratio of additional homicidal behavior in male homicide offenders approximately 13 times, and schizophrenia increased the odds ratio more than 25 times. During their first year after release from prison, male homicide offenders were approximately 250 times more likely to commit homicide than members of the general male population. The data thus suggest that mentally abnormal offenders are overrepresented among homicide recidivists in Finland. The risk of repeat homicide appears to be high during the first year after release from prison. 1 table and 27 references