The analysis of first degree homicide offenders and the examination of the predictors of the crime of homicide

Introduction: First degree homicide is the most traumatic form of violence. Past research support the existence of a connection between personality traits and the level of violence. The purpose of this study is to profile of the male offenders in Turkey convicted of first degree homicide by examining their personality traits, psychopathological features, socio-demographic features and their clinical history. Also explored in the study is which personality traits and psychopathological symptoms are related to criminality. A further purpose of the study is to help reduce crime rate in Turkey by profiling the criminal. Method: This study was conducted in Ankara L-Type Prison No.1, İzmir T-Type Prison No. 4 and Ümraniye E-Type Prison through a special research permit granted by the Ministry of Justice General Management of Prisons. The study group consisted of examined 77 male participants, aged 18-65, convicted of first degree; and the control group consisted of 77 male volunteer participants who have never been tried or convicted of any crime. Prior to the study, all participants signed the Informed Voluntary Participant Consent Form. In addition to the Sociodemographic Information Form, Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) and Symptom Check List (SCL-90-R) were used for the measurement of the groups' personality dimensions and psychopathologies; and Taylor's Violence Rating Scale was used for the measurement of violence. Findings: A meaningful difference has not been found between the two groups' age, marital status and education level. When the points obtained from TCI are examined, a significant difference between the two groups has been observed for all subscales except for Perseverance (p<0.05). Also, SCL-90-R scores are observed to be different on a reliability level of 95% between the two groups (p<0.05). The offenders' answers to the question regarding the levels of violence indicate that 18.2% of the offenders see the first degree homicide as minimal level of violence, 13.0% as moderate level of violence, and 2.6% as non-violence. Conclusion: In this study, it is observed that factors varying from person to person, such as the caregiver, the discipline applied, the attention devoted and subjection to physical violence in childhood, as well as the parents' level of education and income affect the motivation to commit crime. Therefore, it is essential to take these issues into serious consideration in order to ensure positive outcomes from any rehabilitation works to prevent and/or reduce crime. Key Words: Violence, crime, first degree homicide, personality, temperament