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Profile of Parental Homicide Against Children

NCJ Number
164610
Journal
Journal of Family Violence Volume: 11 Issue: 4 Dated: (December 1996) Pages: 347-362
Author(s)
J Kunz; S J Bahr
Date Published
1996
Length
16 pages
Annotation
This study provides profiles of victims and offenders in cases of children having been killed by their parents.
Abstract
The data were all incidents (n=3,459) in which a parent killed a child under age 18 that were recorded in the Uniform Crime Reports between 1976 and 1985. Findings show that in the first week of a child's life, the risk of being killed by a parent was equal for males and females. From the first week to 15 years, males were the victims in approximately 55 percent of all parent- child homicides; the percentage of male victims increased to 77 percent in the 16- to 18-year-old age group. During infants' first week of life, mothers were almost always the ones who committed the homicide. Between the first week of life and the teenage years, mothers and fathers were about equally likely to kill their child. For the 13- to 15-year-old age group, fathers committed 63 percent of all homicides, and this increased to 80 percent among the 16- to 18-year-old group. Among very young children, the causes of death tended to be personal weapons, asphyxiation, or drowning. As age increased, the weapons became predominantly guns and knives. 5 tables, 2 figures, and 29 references

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