Interpersonal Homicide

Definition: The killing of one person by another relating to relationships or communication between people.

Homicide can often be used as a means of resolving conflict and/or punishing the victim through violence when relationships come under strain. Homicides within this typology are often premeditated, however, they can also be a result of a random act of violence. The nature of the relationship between the perpetrator and the victim is the core aspect of this typology of homicide. It is often attributed to the very nature of coexisting with and among others.

Conflicts within family realtionships or couples contribute significantly to the shaping patterns of homicide. The intimacy within these relationships and the daily interactions, stress, emotional factors, financial and cultural ties all account to the large proportion of homicides being from this typology. The rates of homicides from other factors such as gang violence varies significantly year to year, however, the levels of interpersonal homicides remains relatively stable at the global level.

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 2013.Global Study On Homicide. [online] Unodc.org. Available at: <https://www.unodc.org/documents/gsh/pdfs/2014_GLOBAL_HOMICIDE_BOOK_web.pdf>