The Attitudes of Homicide Victims on their victimization

In Sri Lanka, the death penalty had been in place since the times of the ancient kings and under the colonial rulers to prevent grave crimes, including murder. From 1956 to 1959 and after June 1976, the death penalty was not carried out in Sri Lanka. However, the homicide rate has declined from 7.6 in 1976 to 2.1 in 2020 even in the absence of the death penalty. It is assumed that rather than capital punishment for homicide, some other significant factors have contributed to a decline in homicides in the country. This study was conducted in 2019 to identify the characteristics of homicide victims in Sri Lanka. Moreover, the background of the offenders and their relationship to the victims were also solicited. The data were collected concerning the 59 homicide victims selected from a random sample drawn from police stations located in nine districts in Sri Lanka. For data collection, a semi-structured interview schedule was utilized. The study has revealed that low-income earners and less educated individuals mostly tend to become victims of homicide over minor matters in their daily life. Among them a considerable number of people engaged in blue-collar jobs happen to become victims of homicide over issues that might appear relatively trivial to other people. Previous enmity, family disputes, land disputes and drunkenness have been the precipitating motives for these offenders. This study suggests that creating awareness and disseminating knowledge among the less educated and low-income categories of people can cause a positive change in their conduct towards a peaceful and law-abiding life free from homicide.