A Research Note on Suicidal Behavior as a Precursor to Domestic Homicide, With a Coda on Trends in Femicide Before, During and After COVID

• Published date: 01 May 2024
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/10439862241245819
• Author: Heather Strang
• Date: 01 May 2024

https://doi.org/10.1177/10439862241245819

Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice

2024, Vol. 40(2) 344 –351

© The Author(s) 2024

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DOI: 10.1177/10439862241245819

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Article

A Research Note on Suicidal

Behavior as a Precursor to

Domestic Homicide, With a

Coda on Trends in Femicide

Before, During and After

COVID

Heather Strang1

Abstract

This article briefly reviews the difficulties of predicting and preventing domestic

homicide. It considers the evidence on offender prior suicidal behaviour as a precursor.

It includes findings from the 1950s and 1960s as well as the most recent findings on

links between suicide ideation and domestic homicide intent. It also reviews ways

in which these links can be further explored and operationalised to prevent future

harm. It concludes with reflections on the effect of Covid on femicide trends.

Keywords

domestic homicide, suicidal behaviour, covid

In the public imagination and in the views of many activists is an assumption that

every domestic homicide is foreseeable. In retrospect, it is supposed that there must

always have been escalating violence in the relationship between victim and perpetra-

tor with homicide as the logical end point. It is assumed as well that the abuse would

have been known to the police, or at least to health or social service agencies and that

there must have been dereliction on the part of those agencies in not intervening in

time to prevent a death.

1University of Cambridge, UK

Corresponding Author:

Heather Strang, Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge, Sidgwick Avenue, Cambridge CB3

9DA, UK.

Email: hs404@cam.ac.uk

1245819CCJXXX10.1177/10439862241245819Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice XX(X)Strang

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