Naming practices in domestic homicide reviews in England and Wales

Rowlands, James (2023) Naming practices in domestic homicide reviews in England and Wales. Families, Relationships and Societies. pp. 1-19. ISSN 2046-7435

[img] PDF - Published Version
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial.

Download (624kB)

Abstract

In England and Wales, domestic homicide reviews (DHRs) seek to build a picture of the circumstances preceding a domestic abuse-related death, identify any learning and make recommendations for change. Drawing on data from document analysis of 60 DHR reports, this article explores how a victim’s real name is routinely taken out of use when a DHR report is published and, to disguise their identity, is usually replaced with a pseudonym or some other nomenclature like initials/letters. I report on the name forms used in place of a victim’s real name and the limited explication of both how (pseudo)names were chosen and the role of the family. By exploring how names are used, I argue for a recognition of the assumptions and complexity at the heart of DHRs concerning the place of the victim, family and state, and identify implications for practice, policy and research.

Item Type: Article
Schools and Departments: School of Law, Politics and Sociology > Sociology and Criminology
SWORD Depositor: Mx Elements Account
Depositing User: Mx Elements Account
Date Deposited: 20 Mar 2023 10:08
Last Modified: 20 Mar 2023 10:15
URI: http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/id/eprint/111315

View download statistics for this item

📧 Request an update