This systematic review was conducted to develop a broader understanding of the characteristics of older people who commit homicide. PubMed, Embase and PsycINFO were searched on 28 November 2018 for studies on homicides committed by people aged 55 years and over. Only articles published in English were included. Studies focusing on euthanasia and palliation were excluded. Fifteen articles met the inclusion criteria, with studies from the United States (n = 6), United Kingdom (n = 2), Australia, Canada, Finland, Italy, New Zealand, Switzerland and Turkey. The age range for ‘older offenders’ varied across the studies. Some studies examined the phenomena of sexual homicide and homicide-suicide. Offenders were more likely to be male, and the domestic setting for the offence was common. Social maladjustment, a care-giver role, personal physical and mental health problems and/or substance misuse issues were relevant to the offenders. Firearms-related homicides were common. Homicide committed by older people is rare but there may be a constellation of risk factors specific to this age group that needs further understanding. Our findings suggest that there is an increasing need for care of older offenders and a need for specialist forensic services for elderly offenders.

进行这项系统评价是为了更广泛地了解犯有杀人罪的老年人的特征。PubMed、Embase 和 PsycINFO 于 2018 年 11 月 28 日进行了搜索，以获取有关 55 岁及以上人群实施的凶杀案的研究。仅包括以英文发表的文章。关注安乐死和姑息治疗的研究被排除在外。15 篇文章符合纳入标准，来自美国 ( n  = 6)、英国 ( n = 2)、澳大利亚、加拿大、芬兰、意大利、新西兰、瑞士和土耳其。“老年罪犯”的年龄范围因研究而异。一些研究考察了性杀人和杀人-自杀现象。犯罪者更可能是男性，犯罪的家庭环境很常见。社会失调、照顾者角色、个人身心健康问题和/或药物滥用问题与罪犯有关。与枪支有关的凶杀案很常见。老年人犯下的凶杀案很少见，但可能有一系列特定于该年龄组的风险因素需要进一步了解。我们的研究结果表明，对老年罪犯的照顾和对老年罪犯的专业法医服务的需求日益增加。