Youth homicide: a study of homicide predictor factors in adolescent offenders in custody in the south of Brazil

Abstract Objectives To assess the sociodemographic, psychiatric and criminal profile of adolescent offenders complying with temporary custody for homicide/homicide attempt and to compare it to that of the population of adolescents in custody for other crimes. Methods This cross-sectional study was based on the review of the medical records of 74 juvenile offenders in temporary custody at socioeducational agency Fundação de Atendimento Sócio-Educativo do Rio Grande do Sul. For the analysis, variables that presented p < 0.2 were included in multivariate adjustment through logistic regression. Results The sample comprised males only, mostly with white skin color (55.6 vs. 57.9% for homicidal and non-homicidal, respectively) and with a high prevalence of school failure (77.8 vs. 91.2%). There was a high prevalence of family history of delinquency (88 vs. 81%). Only years of study and belonging or not to a criminal organization remained statistically significant in the multivariate model. Conclusion The results show that having fewer years of study and denying belonging to a criminal organization are predictive factors of homicidal behavior in adolescent offenders (both with statistical relevance). The other variables were not statistically significant for this outcome. The present study may serve as a basis for further research, which may improve our understanding of risk factors for juvenile homicide.