NEONATICIDE

Abstract

Murder is undoubtedly the most difficult and most far-reaching consequence of criminal activity which deserves considerable attention of professional and general public alike. As a rule, the role of killers is usually attributed to men while women are more frequently seen as victims, which does not fully correspond to social reality. In that context, the subject matter of this paper is neonaticide, as a type of homicide typically committed by women. The author examines the historical, criminal and criminological aspects of this crime in an endeavour to determine a typical profile of a woman who kills her newborn child. The research results confirm the terrifying facts that the criminal act of neonaticide may be committed by any woman, whereby some women prove to be more prone to killing their children than others. For this reason, the author explores the distinctive characteristics of women who commit neonaticide, which distinguish them from other women-murderers. The ultimate goal of this paper is to draw attention of primarily professional public to this interesting and insufficiently researched topic and to emphasize the need for its more comprehensive examination in the future.