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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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| Homicide perpetrated by older people | | Author(s) | Ross Overshott, Cathryn Rodway, Alison Roscoe |
| Journal title | International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, vol 27, no 11, November 2012 |
| Pages | pp 1099-1105 |
| Source | http://www.interscience.wiley.com/journal/gps |
| Keywords | Crime ; Death ; Mental disorder ; Depression ; Longitudinal surveys ; England ; Wales. |
| Annotation | The circumstances in which older people commit homicide, the form of assessment they undergo, and the proportion of those who suffer from mental illness are described and examined. This study was carried out as part of the England and Wales National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Homicide by People with Mental Illness, based on a five-year sample. The Inquiry was notified of the names of those aged over 60 convicted of homicide, together with details of the offence, sentencing and outcome in court by the Home Office. The Inquiry collected clinical data of those known to have had contact with mental health services from the responsible service, and also retrieved psychiatric reports of those convicted. Homicide incidents perpetrated by older people typically involve a man killing his partner in an impulsive manner. The most common method was by using a sharp instrument (34%), followed by the use of a blunt instrument (26%). The use of firearms was rare (11%). Perpetrators aged 65+ were significantly more likely to kill a current or former spouse/partner and less likely to kill an acquaintance. 44% of perpetrators aged over 65 suffered from depression at the time of the offence, whereas rates of schizophrenia and alcohol dependence were low. The characteristics and the circumstances of homicides perpetrated by older people are different to other age groups. Homicides of and by older people may be preventable if depression is identified early. (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-121026074 A |
| Classmark | TWA: CW: E: ENR: 3J: 82: 9 |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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