Substance use patterns among young homicide offenders in Finland 2002-2022

Despite the established notion of Finland as a country with a relatively high homicide rate largely attributed to alcohol-related killings, it is possible that the current Finnish homicide scene is shifting. Recent research findings suggest that the conventional idea of a “typical Finnish homicide” as drinking-group violence between marginalized men may not fully apply to youth homicides. However, these findings, along with international research literature, demonstrate the significance of drug use in lethal violence involving young people. In order to effectively prevent youth homicide and to mitigate drug-related harms in the society, more research is needed on substance use patterns among young homicide offenders. 

The current study uses date from the Finnish Homicide Monitor (FHM) to examine patterns of substance use in lethal violence involving young (aged 15 to 29) offenders in Finland during the time frame of two decades, 2002–2022. We describe the use of various types of substances at the time of the offense, observe trends in the prevalence of different substances, and describe co-use of different substances among young homicide offenders. In particular, we create a data-driven classification of substance use patterns among homicide offenders, comprising also information on substance use of the victim, to describe the general view of the role of substance use in youth-perpetrated homicides in Finland, also in comparison to adult-perpetrated lethal violence. Due to the relative lack of prior research on the role of diverse types of substance use in Finnish homicides, the findings are of critical value in term of development of both crime prevention and drug harm reduction policies.