How Do Different Case Conclusions Impact on Survivors of Homicide? Developing and Applying a Conceptual Framework to Organize Current Empirical Knowledge

Abstract

Supporting families and friends of homicide victims (‘survivors’) requires understanding how homicide impacts on survivors. Although recent work has examined how the loss of a loved one and events following a homicide—such as media coverage, the criminal justice processes and the perpetrator’s sentence—affects survivors, there has been little consideration of how final ‘case conclusions’ (other than the perpetrator’s sentence)—such as homicide–suicide, cold-case homicide or perpetrator declared permanently unfit for trial or acquitted of murder or manslaughter—impacts on survivors. This article examines existing literature about how different final case conclusions, other than the perpetrator’s sentence, impact on survivors. A novel conceptual framework—the ‘Homicide Case Pathway’—is presented to organize these efforts. There are shared and diverse effects of final case conclusions on survivors, centred on five key themes—emotions and feelings, denial of justice, lack of closure, belief in the system and hope. There is a clear need to conduct further research into the effect of final case conclusions on survivors, in order to better understand survivors’ experiences, and subsequently identify and implement suitably tailored victim support strategies for survivors.