TY - JOUR
T1 - Recent release from prison-A novel risk factor for intimate partner homicide
AU - Cirone, Justin
AU - Keskey, Robert
AU - Hampton, David
AU - Slidell, Mark
AU - Crandall, Marie
AU - Rattan, Rishi
AU - Velopulos, Catherine G.
AU - Allen, Debra
AU - Williams, Brian H.
AU - Wilson, Kenneth
AU - Zakrison, Tanya L.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© American Association for the Surgery of Trauma.
PY - 2021
Y1 - 2021
N2 - BACKGROUND The United States has the highest per-capita incarceration rate and the largest prison population in the world. More than two thirds of recently incarcerated individuals will be arrested again within 3 years of release and may commit crimes as serious as homicide soon after discharge. The pattern of homicidal violence currently remains unknown for recently incarcerated homicide suspects (RIHS) and their victims. METHODS A retrospective analysis of the 36 states included in the 2003 to 2017 National Violent Death Reporting System was performed with a focus on RIHS and their victims. Pearson ?2 and Wilcoxon rank sum tests were used for comparison. RESULTS There were 249 RIHS in the database of the 14,561 homicides where suspect recent incarceration status was documented. Compared with not-recently incarcerated suspects, RIHS were more likely to be White (41% vs. 29%, p < 0.001) and male (97% vs. 91%, p < 0.001). Recently incarcerated homicide suspects more often had a known relationship with the victim (75% vs. 51%, p < 0.001), and these homicides more often occurred in the victim's own home (43% vs. 34%, p = 0.006). Intimate partner violence was a factor in 31% of the RIHS cases (vs. 17%, p < 0.001). The homicide weapon was most likely to be a firearm (57.8%, p < 0.001). Only 6.4% of homicides were due to mental health illness. Gang violence, while more common in the RIHS group, was still only a precipitating factor in 12.0% of the homicides (vs. 7.4%, p = 0.006). CONCLUSION Recently incarcerated homicide suspects are more likely to kill a known person in their own home with a firearm, and these homicides are frequently categorized as intimate partner homicides. Gang violence and mental health are not frequent precipitating factors in these deaths. Additional future interventions are urgently needed to eliminate these preventable deaths by alerting previous or current intimate partners of those being discharged from the prison system.
AB - BACKGROUND The United States has the highest per-capita incarceration rate and the largest prison population in the world. More than two thirds of recently incarcerated individuals will be arrested again within 3 years of release and may commit crimes as serious as homicide soon after discharge. The pattern of homicidal violence currently remains unknown for recently incarcerated homicide suspects (RIHS) and their victims. METHODS A retrospective analysis of the 36 states included in the 2003 to 2017 National Violent Death Reporting System was performed with a focus on RIHS and their victims. Pearson ?2 and Wilcoxon rank sum tests were used for comparison. RESULTS There were 249 RIHS in the database of the 14,561 homicides where suspect recent incarceration status was documented. Compared with not-recently incarcerated suspects, RIHS were more likely to be White (41% vs. 29%, p < 0.001) and male (97% vs. 91%, p < 0.001). Recently incarcerated homicide suspects more often had a known relationship with the victim (75% vs. 51%, p < 0.001), and these homicides more often occurred in the victim's own home (43% vs. 34%, p = 0.006). Intimate partner violence was a factor in 31% of the RIHS cases (vs. 17%, p < 0.001). The homicide weapon was most likely to be a firearm (57.8%, p < 0.001). Only 6.4% of homicides were due to mental health illness. Gang violence, while more common in the RIHS group, was still only a precipitating factor in 12.0% of the homicides (vs. 7.4%, p = 0.006). CONCLUSION Recently incarcerated homicide suspects are more likely to kill a known person in their own home with a firearm, and these homicides are frequently categorized as intimate partner homicides. Gang violence and mental health are not frequent precipitating factors in these deaths. Additional future interventions are urgently needed to eliminate these preventable deaths by alerting previous or current intimate partners of those being discharged from the prison system.
KW - Violence
KW - firearm
KW - homicide
KW - incarceration
KW - intimate partner violence
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U2 - 10.1097/TA.0000000000002949
DO - 10.1097/TA.0000000000002949
M3 - Article
C2 - 33003014
AN - SCOPUS:85098673838
SN - 2163-0755
VL - 90
SP - 107
EP - 112
JO - Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery
JF - Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery
IS - 1
ER -