“Homicide Offenders 32 Years Later—A Swedish Population-Based Study on Recidivism”, 2023-11-22 ():
Background: The literature on recidivism by homicide offenders is scarce despite its importance for individuals and for society.
Aims: To establish the rate of seriously violent re-offending among homicide offenders and identify risk factors for such recidivism.
Methods: A 1970s incident cohort of all homicide offenders, sane and insane, from two regions of Sweden (N = 153) was followed up until 2007 using data from the national crime register.
Results: 10% of the cohort (n = 15) re-offended. The mean time from index offence to recidivism was 9.4 years. 5 people (3%) committed a further homicide, and it was established that another 5 (3%) offenders had killed before the index offence. Prospective risk factors for violent recidivism were young age, psychotic disorder, male victim, acquainted victim and intoxicated victim.
Conclusions: The prevalence of repeated homicide is higher than previously reported. Victim variables and mental disorder in conjunction with substance abuse appear to be two domains of particular importance for recidivism.