Juvenile homicide: a case control study

Studies describing the profile of juveniles charged or guilty of homicide have been inconsistent in their findings. For instance, Sendi and Blomgren found that 60 per cent of their adolescent murderers sample suffered from schizophrenia, while Cornell, Benedek, and Benedek identified only 6.9 per cent of psychotic subjects among the homicide group. Important gaps can also be noticed among studies describing the prevalence of personality disorders among homicidal adolescents. Rosner, Wiederlight, Horner-Rosner, and Wieczorek indicate that 50 per cent of the population they studied were diagnosed as having a personality disorder, while Fiddes found no more than 5 per cent of such cases.