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Citation |
Malherbe C, Barkhuizen M. Acta Criminol. 2017; 30(2): 79-95. |
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Copyright |
(Copyright © 2017, Criminological Society of South Africa) |
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DOI |
unavailable |
PMID |
unavailable |
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Abstract |
Newspaper reports of parricide during the past few years caught widespread public attention. Generally, parricide (dictionary.com) is defined as the act of killing one's father, mother, or other close relative, however, this article illuminates the complexity of this phenomenon and raises the question why adolescent children commit these crimes. This article is primarily descriptive, highlighting the nature, typologies, characteristics and precipitating factors of the crime. A literature review and case studies from media reports showed parricide to be a culmination of various factors, such as family dysfunction and abuse, the presence of weapons as well as community ignorance of the family circumstances. There is no simple explanation for parricide as it is often the product of the perpetrators chaotic emotions, intrapsychic pathology, expression of family dysfunction and results from a pattern of denial in the family. These factors create the perception for the perpetrator that there is no alternative but murder. The conclusions are preliminary as this is a work in progress. Little research on this topic has been done in South Africa and therefore this article attempts to give a better understanding of this phenomenon. Language: en |