Description

Is it possible, by looking at criminal records, to predict the likelihood of someone committing a murder or a serious sexual assault? New Home Office research suggests it might be - but not in a way that lends itself to any straightforward notion of "progression" from less serious crimes to more serious ones.

Researchers ..Brian Francis and Keith Soothill.. studied more than 1,500 men convicted either of murder or serious sexual assaults, and compared their records with those of other offenders with more general criminal records. Overall, 32% of first-time murderers and 36% of serious sexual offenders had no previous convictions. Comparing murderers who had previous convictions, with those who did not, revealed little variation. Both groups seemed to use similar methods of killing in similar circumstances.