FACT SHEET Pathways to intimate partner homicide
This fact sheet series explores three offender trajectories to intimate partner homicide identified in recent ANROWS-commissioned research, conducted by the Australian Institute of Criminology.
These summaries of the pathways to intimate partner homicide – the “fixated threat” pathway, the “persistent and disorderly pathway”, and the “deterioration/acute stressor pathway” – capture key features of each pathway, including offender characteristics, relationship dynamics, events occurring in the lead-up to the lethal incident, and the lethal incident itself, as well as offenders’ willingness to accept responsibility for their actions. The summaries also identify potential opportunities for intervention along each of the three pathways.
These resources provide crucial information for policymakers in terms of intervention opportunities, particularly when offenders are not already known to law enforcement – for example, if they are engaging primarily in non-physical coercive controlling behaviours – or are not showing established risk factors for IPH. They also draw attention to less obvious early intervention points: given the high rate of mental illness (68%) among offenders on the deterioration/acute stressor pathway, mental health professionals could be well placed to conduct risk assessments and identify increasing risk of IPH in the context of deteriorating mental health.
The full report, The “Pathways to intimate partner homicide” project: Key stages and events in male-perpetrated intimate partner homicide in Australia, is also available for download.
Suggested citations
Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety. (2022). Pathways to intimate partner homicide: The “fixated threat” offender trajectory [Fact sheet]. ANROWS.
Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety. (2022). Pathways to intimate partner homicide: The “persistent and disorderly” offender trajectory [Fact sheet]. ANROWS.
Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety. (2022). Pathways to intimate partner homicide: The “deterioration/acute stressor” offender trajectory [Fact sheet]. ANROWS.