Beyond intimate partner relationships: utilising domestic homicide reviews to prevent adult family domestic homicide

Abstract

Increasing evidence documents domestic violence and abuse (DVA) and domestic homicide of adults killed by a relative in non-intimate partner relationships. Most literature focuses on intimate partner violence and homicide, yet non-intimate partner homicides form a substantial but neglected minority of domestic homicides. This article addresses this gap by presenting an analysis from 66 domestic homicide reviews (DHRs) in England and Wales where the victim and perpetrator were related, such as parent and adult child. Intimate partner homicides are excluded. These 66 DHRs were a sub-sample drawn from a larger study examining 317 DHRs in England and Wales.The article contributes towards greater understanding of the prevalence, context and characteristics of adult family homicide (AFH). Analysis revealed five interlinked precursors to AFH: mental health and substance/alcohol misuse, criminal history, childhood trauma, economic factors and care dynamics. Findings indicate that, given their contact with both victims and perpetrators, criminal justice agencies, adult social care and health agencies, particularly mental health services, are ideally placed to identify important risk and contextual factors. Understanding of DVA needs to extend to include adult family violence. Risk assessments need to be cognisant of the complex dynamics of AFH and must consider social-structural and relational-contextual factors.<br />Key messages<br /><ol><li>Understanding of domestic violence and abuse needs to include adult family violence.</li><br /><li>Risks and dynamics of adult family homicide are complex and must consider social-structural and relational-contextual factors.</li><br /><li>Criminal justice agencies, social care, substance misuse and mental health services provide opportunities for prevention.</li></ol>

Constructing Fatality Review: A Policy Analysis of the Emergence of Domestic Homicide Reviews in England and Wales

“…This perhaps mirrors its exceptionalization and bounding in the policy documents. Finally, engaging with victim subjectivity and agency relies on how information is reported, but ironically some DHRs contain limited victim information (Bracewell et al, 2021).…”

Inside the black box: domestic homicide reviews as a source of data

“…(Chantler et al, 2020: 491) A recent document analysis of DHRs concerning adult family homicide sought to provide a more detailed overview of methods, including quantitative and qualitative data extraction. It summarised the challenges encountered, noting absent information regarding socio-demographics of victims and perpetrators and -perversely given the aspiration that victims should be central to DHRs -that information about the victim is often lacking compared to the perpetrator (Bracewell et al, 2021).…”

“…Meanwhile, scholarship has largely focused on the secondary analysis of cases and associated recommendations (Sharp-Jeffs and Kelly, 2016;Home Office, 2016b). In other examples, DHRs have been used to explore the experience of specific cohorts, including older people or children (Bracewell et al, 2021;Benbow et al, 2019;Stanley et al, 2019); patterns in abusive relationships (Monckton Smith, 2020); particular forms of abuse (Todd et al, 2021); and system responses (Dheensa, 2020;SCIE, 2020).…”

Adult family violence coming out of the shadows

“…Bows (2019) found that most deaths occurred in the victim’s home and that a sharp instrument was most frequently involved. A recent study by Bracewell et al (2021) identified “five interlinked precursors” in the perpetration of adult family homicide, namely, mental health and alcohol/substance misuse; criminality; childhood trauma (childhood abuse or death of a parent); “caring” relationships; and economic issues.…”