Intimate Partner Homicide in Portugal: What Are the (As)Symmetries Between Men and Women?
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Intimate Partner Homicide in Portugal: What Are the (As)Symmetries Between Men and Women? Andreia Matias 1 & Mariana Gonçalves 1
& Cristina Soeiro
2,3
& Marlene Matos
1
Accepted: 26 October 2020/ # Springer Nature B.V. 2020
Abstract
There is consensus that intimate partner homicide (IPH) is a gender crime and that it is one of the most extreme forms of violence. This study aims to identify the differences and similarities between men and women who committed IPH. Data were collected from 75 criminal cases: 12 homicides perpetrated by women against men and 63 by men against women. At the individual level, homicidal women and men showed previous criminal records, substance abuse and psychiatric disorders. The intimate relationships were similar: regarding its duration, they were underway at the time of the IPH, they had a history of previous separations and reconciliations, and also, they had history of abusive dynamics. Regarding the modus operandi of IPH, the victims were mainly killed in the house of the victim and/or the aggressor, usually with a white armour weapon or a firearm and under the influence of substances. Nevertheless, there were specific differentiating factors. Men who committed murder were described as the primary aggressors (79%), while the women who committed murder (46%) were previously documented as victims of intimate partner violence. Attempted suicide/suicide after the homicide was proven in 38% of the IPH offender men, with no women having committed or attempted suicide. The time elapsed between the homicide and the judicial sentence was six times higher for women, and the length of imprisonment was on average three times higher for men. Most of the men were convicted of first-degree murder, while the women were mostly convicted of second-degree murder. Practical implications of the results are discussed. Keywords Intimate partner homicide . Men . Women . Similarities . Differences
* Mariana Gonçalves [email protected]
1
Center of Investigation in Psychology, School of Psychology, University of Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal
2
University Institute Egas Moniz, Almada, Portugal
3
Judiciary Police, Lisbon, Portugal
A. Matias et al.
Despite the family being a place of affection, where individuals can find the resources for a stable and emotional life, several studies point to a family as also being one of the most violent institutions (Casimiro 2002). Currently, we know that conflicts occur in the entire family context, as well as in all relationships, from simple disagreements to discussions, sometimes combined with domestic violence, namely, through physical, psychological and sexual violence, which can end in intimate partner homicide (IPH; Daly and Wilson 1988; Shackelford 2001). Domestic violence, historically being conceived as an individual problem of the private, nonpublic domain and prompting the victim to live in silence behind closed doors, is currently recognized as a serious crime and a social problem with complex implications (Cerejo 2014; Cunha 2013;
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