Parricides by mentally disordered offenders in Zimbabwe.

AIM: The aim of this study was to examine the similarities and differences between matricide and patricide committed by mentally disordered offenders in Zimbabwe. METHODS: A comprehensive, retrospective and national study was carried out of all individuals in Zimbabwe who, between 1980 and 1990 inclusive, were charged with homicide of their biological parents. The data were obtained from a hospital-wide survey, in a written semistructured format. RESULTS: The sample size was 39 offenders (34 men, 5 women) and there were 39 victims (20 matricides and 19 patricides). Sons committed 18 patricides and 16 matricides, and daughters committed one patricide and four matricides. The mean age of the offenders was 35 years with a standard deviation of 9.8, and the mean age of the victims was 60 years with a standard deviation of 9.3. Ethnicity of all the offenders and their victims was African. About one-third of the offenders were known to the psychiatric services and the rest were found to be mentally ill at the time of the crime when they were tried in the court of law. Most of the offenders were suffering from a psychotic illness and one offender had a diagnosis of personality disorder. Half of the offenders had been to a traditional healer some time before committing the crime. Most of the offenders used a blunt instrument, 15 used sharp instruments and one woman used strangulation. Firearms were not used in committing parricide. CONCLUSION: The study showed that sons committed most parricides. However, daughters committed matricide more frequently than patricide. Male offenders were 10 years younger than female offenders. In all cases both the offender and victim were African, and lived in the same house in the rural areas of Zimbabwe. Psychosis among the offenders had substantially increased the risk of parricide.

Mentally disordered offenders in Zimbabwe and in England and Wales: a socio-demographic study.

Our aim was to compare socio-demographic, clinical and criminal characteristics of mentally disordered offender patients in a special institution in a developing and a developed country. Zimbabwe data from 1980-1990 was obtained from a hospital patient survey, in a written semistructured format. The English special (high security) hospital patients' data for the same period was obtained from the case register. The sample size for Zimbabwe was 367 patients (337 males, 30 females) and for England and Wales it was 1,966 patients (1,643 males, 323 females). The average age for Zimbabwean patients was 36 years, with standard deviation of 9.7; for England and Wales the average age was 29.7 with standard deviation of 9.6. There was significant difference in marital status in the two countries. Seventy-eight per cent of patients were single in England and Wales, compared with 49% in Zimbabwe. There were 20% illiterate patients in Zimbabwe, compared with 4% in England and Wales. Thirty-seven per cent of the patients in England and Wales had a diagnosis of personality disorder, compared with 6% in Zimbabwe. There were 53% of homicides in Zimbabwe, compared with 20% in England and Wales. Employment in the two countries was similar: 34% in Zimbabwe and 33% in England and Wales. There were differences in the socio-demographic characteristics in the two countries, except for employment status. Differences were also noticed in the diagnoses of the patients, types of crime and the methods of assault.