El mejor predictor disponible de homicidio doméstico es la anterior conducta suicida del agresor

The best available predictor of domestic homicide is offender’s prior suicidal behaviour. Compared to a range of other risk factors, domestic murders (both completed and attempted) are most powerfully associated with an offender’s history of suicide attempts, threats, ideation, or self-harm.

Most domestic homicides occur without any prior police contact involving the victim and offender in a relationship. The idea of preventing domestic homicide by responding better to domestic abuse is not consistent with the facts: police have very few opportunities to prevent domestic homicide with no prior police contacts unless they can proactively detect couples at high risk through predictors like suicide. Current information systems are inadequate for identifying suicidal behavior among couples with abuse problems known to police. Police have no means at present for instant queries of operational IT as to whether a suspect has a prior history of suicidal ideation. Such queries could be a useful means for identifying dangerous offenders more accurately, and preventing more homicides.

Organizations other than police hold suicidal behaviour intelligence that could help predict homicide, but do not share it with police. Bridger’s analysis of post-mortem Domestic Homicide Reviews found that someone had prior knowledge of suicidal behavior by 40% of men who killed women, but much of that knowledge was never made available to the police until after the death. Legislators may want to re-examine any privacy laws that require this information to be concealed from police and debate the privacy rights of individuals versus the rights of people they may kill.

Key Facts About Domestic Abuse: Lessons from Eight Studies