Trajetórias de vida e reclusão : estudo qualitativo com homicidas

Abstract

Background: There is a wide range of studies on homicide that are mostly quantitative (e.g., prevalence rates, recidivism, homicide profiles, homicide typologies). Several authors indicate the importance of conducting qualitative investigations with the offenders themselves, in order to understand the murderer, an important source of information about the crime. Objectives: It is intended to analyze the life stories of homicides, seeking to explore their trajectories and experiences. It also seeks to compare the life stories of homicidal men and women. Method: This study includes 12 participants convicted of homicide and serving an effective prison sentence in a prison, selected according to inclusion criteria. Data collection took place in two phases: in the first phase, the Sociodemographic and Criminal Questionnaire (for collecting socio-demographic, legal, criminal and prison data) and the Brief Symptom Inventory (to identify participants without psychopathology indicators). In the second phase, the McAdams Life Story Interview was administered to collect in-depth information on the life trajectories and experiences of the murderers. Narrative analysis was used as a methodology for analyzing the interview data. Results: Five central themes were identified in the stories of the murderers – family, victimization, crime, confinement and dependencies. The way they organize their experiences around these themes allows them to maintain a positive identity. A central narrative across all homicides was identified – a suffering narrative – but relevant differences were identified between homicidal men and women. Conclusion: Despite the common suffering narrative, women reveal a narrative of victimization, while men convey a narrative of frustration/failure. These differences are discussed in terms of their implications for the intervention.

Date of Award	2020
Original language	Portuguese
Supervisor	Ana Rita Conde Dias (Supervisor)