Why Kids Kill Parents: Child Abuse and Adolescent Homicide / Edition 1

by Kathleen M. Heide

Overview

A tragic portrait of adolescents who kill their parents is revealed in this volume: these young people almost always kill out of desperation as they are almost always victims of severe child abuse, neglect and dysfunctional parenting.

Drawing upon her experience as a clinician, expert witness and scholar, the author asserts that a combination of interconnected problems creates the conditions for parricide, including: severe sexual, physical and//or verbal abuse of the child; escalating violence in the family; and increasing vulnerability of the child to stressors in the home.

This sensitive volume includes an examination of interventions that are effective in treating such children. Heide concludes that ado

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780803970601
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Publication date:	09/30/1994
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.52(d)

About the Author

Dr. Heide is a Full Professor in the Department of Criminology at the University of South Florida, Tampa and is an internationally recognized consultant on adolescent homicide and family violence. She is a licensed mental health counselor in the State of Florida and has been court-appointed as an expert in Florida Circuit Courts in homicide, sexual battery, juvenile, and family matters. Dr. Heide's publication record includes more than 100 publications and presentations in the areas of adolescent homicide, family violence, personality assessment, and juvenile justice, along with two books - Why Kids Kill Parents (1992) and Young Killers (1999). She received her B.A. from Vassar College in Psychology and her M.A. and Ph.D in Criminal Justice from the State University of New York at Albany.

Table of Contents

Foreword - Hans Toch
PART ONE: PARRICIDE: FACTS AND ISSUES
The Phenomenon of Parricide
Child Maltreatment and Parricide
Which Youths Kill
Youths at Risk
Legal and Psychological Issues
PART TWO: CASE STUDIES
Assessment and Its Implications
Peter Jones
Scott Anders
Patty Smith
PART THREE: IMPLICATIONS, PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS
Intervention after the Tragedy - with Don Mc Cann and Eldra Solomon
Society's Role

Editorial Reviews

Criminologist and psychotherapist Kathleen Heide focuses on families that breed violence and the relationship between patricide and child abuse. A discussion of maltreatment, who kills, youths at risk, and legal and psychological issues is followed by three detailed case studies and a discussion of intervention, society's contributions to both the problems and solutions. First published in 1992 by Ohio State University Press. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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