“I killed him”. Marital homicide commited by Portuguese women: a qualitative criminological analysis

Authors

  • Mafalda Ferreira Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal / Centro Interdisciplinar de Estudos de Género (CIEG), Instituto Superior de Ciências Sociais e Políticas da Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
  • Jorge Quintas Faculdade de Direito da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal / Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar da Escola de Criminologia — Crime, Justiça e Segurança, Porto, Portugal
  • Sofia Neves ISMAI — Universidade da Maia, Maia, Portugal / Centro Interdisciplinar de Estudos de Género (CIEG), Instituto Superior de Ciências Sociais e Políticas da Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7458/SPP20229924134

Keywords:

domestic violence, marital homicide, female inmates, qualitative research

Abstract

The paper presents the results of a qualitative study conducted with 14 women serving prison sentences in Portugal, for killing their (former) partners. Aiming to analyze the possible relationship between the practice of homicide and a previous history of domestic violence, among other factors, in-depth interviews were developed, and their individual files were examined. Results suggest that these women experienced several risk factors for domestic violence and marital homicide, although their motives for killing were varied. It was possible to verify that proven histories of domestic violence in court did reduce the dosimetry of the sentences.

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Published

2022-05-04

Issue

No. 99 (2022)

Section

Artigos

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