NCJ Number
208762
Journal
Journal of Interpersonal Violence Volume: 16 Issue: 4 Dated: April 2001 Pages: 312-319
Date Published
April 2001
Length
8 pages
Annotation
This New Zealand study profiled defendants charged with threatening to kill or do grievous bodily harm to a person and examined factors linked with presentation for psychiatric evaluation following the bringing of charges.
Abstract
Researchers reviewed the psychiatric reports, files, and summaries of facts on 102 individuals who were charged with threatening to kill or do bodily harm to a person between 1990 and mid-1997. In the total sample, 90.2 percent of the subjects were male, and the mean age was 33. Of the total sample, 71.6 percent had been previously convicted of a crime, and 63.7 percent were recorded as having been violent. Overall, 67.7 percent had a history of psychiatric services, 57.8 percent were given a psychiatric diagnosis at assessment, and 75.5 percent were reported to have personality difficulties, such as obsessive or dependent traits. A history of substance abuse was reported for 69.6 percent of participants, and 42.2 percent were considered to have been under the influence of substances at the time of the threat. Profile data indicate that the crime of threatening to kill a person is typically committed by a European man in his early to mid-thirties, who has a history of criminal convictions, and is known to have been violent. He has a history of past psychiatric services, and he probably abuses substances. The specific incident occasioning the threat involved relationship difficulties with a partner, ex-partner, or family members; and the victim was probably female. A weapon of the type that would be readily available in many homes was possibly involved. 12 references