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Recognizing Homicide as a Public Health Threat

Toward an Integration of Sociological and Public Health Perspectives in the Study of Violence

University of Oklahoma

This article establishes the burden of violent mortality worldwide and discusses the possibility of integrating public health and sociological criminology in the study of violence. First, vital statistics data are employed to outline the worldwide burden of violent mortality and reveal nations and population subgroups that exhibit high rates of homicide victimization. Second, the contributions of sociological criminology and public health to the study of violence are described. In general, the sociological approach provides a theoretically driven understanding of the causal structure of the social processes that generate variation in homicide rates. The public health perspective, on the other hand, employs a wide variety of methods to present concrete intervention strategies to reduce and prevent harm. Integration of these two approaches should result in theoretical advancement in our comprehension of the causes of lethal violence and in practical applications that will reduce the excess morbidity and mortality due to violence and the public health burden it presents.

Key Words: homicide • criminology • public health • violence

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