Homicide Studies current issue

Women's Status and Risk of Homicide Victimization: An Analysis With Data Disaggregated by Victim-Offender Relationship

Vieraitis, L. M., Kovandzic, T. V., Britto, S. — 2008-04-10

Several feminist theories predict that women's socioeconomic status, both absolute status and their status relative to men, influences the prevalence of violence against women, with some suggesting a positive correlation and others a negative one. Although each theory provides insight into the possible causal connection between women's status, gender inequality, and violence, empirical tests of these relationships are inconclusive. The present study addresses this issue by using a cross-sectional design with 2000 census and crime data to assess the impact of women's absolute status and gender inequality along educational, employment, income, and occupational dimensions and their risk of homicide victimization by intimate partners and nonintimates. The findings indicate that women's absolute status is significantly correlated with female homicide victimization rates by intimate partners. However, tests for equality of regression coefficients between the intimate and nonintimate partner models suggest that these differences may be attributed to random chance.

Young Adult Intimate Partner Femicide: An Exploratory Study

Glass, N., Laughon, K., Rutto, C., Bevacqua, J., Campbell, J. C. — 2008-04-10

The study identified risk factors for young adult intimate partner femicide. Secondary analysis of proxies of 23 young adult (ages 18-20 years) femicide victims identified from police or medical examiner records in 11 U.S. cities were interviewed using the Danger Assessment Scale. The femicide cases were compared with 53 abused young women (ages 18-20). Risk factors for young adult intimate partner femicide differ from their abused counterparts. More hostile violence, threats, unemployment, access to a gun, controlling activities, and having a nonbiological child of the abusive partner placed young adult women at higher risk for murder. Risk factors in younger femicides identified are consistent with risk factors identified in cases of femicides in older adult women. Although consistent, jealousy and controlling behaviors, partner unemployment, and perpetrator being an ex-partner appear to have increased importance for younger women. A validated lethality assessment, such as the Danger Assessment, may be useful to identify risk factors for lethal violence in young adult intimate partner violence.

Is Homicide in Puerto Rico High?

Godoy, R. — 2008-04-10

Many observers have said that Puerto Rico has more violent crime than the US mainland. I use 1980-2005 data from the FBI and the police of Puerto Rico to show that Puerto Rico had (a) lower annual rates and faster improvement in aggravated assault, rape, and robbery than the mainland; (b) a higher homicide rate than the mainland and no signs of converging to mainland rates; and (c) a higher lethality ratio from aggravated assault than the mainland. I discuss explanations for Puerto Rico's paradox: high poverty, political marginality, and high lethality from aggravated assault but less violent crime (except homicide) than the mainland.

The Influence of Gender Inequality and Marginalization on Types of Female Offending

Reckdenwald, A., Parker, K. F. — 2008-04-10

Gender inequality and economic marginalization contribute to female crime, but little research has explored how these predictors differentially influence female offending at the macrolevel. Building on Steffensmeier and Haynie's work on the relationship between structural disadvantage and urban female crime rates, we explore whether structural indicators differentially influence women's involvement in crimes against those persons in close proximity (intimate partners) versus their participation in the drug trade and robberies. Using the 2000 census, Supplemental Homicide Files, and Uniform Crime Report (UCR) arrest data for a large sample of U.S. cities, we examine the influence of gender inequality and economic marginalization on these offenses while also providing a statistical test to determine whether these indicators differ significantly across offense types. Our findings reveal that some indicators of structural disadvantage vary across types of female offending while other indicators do not. This finding further adds to the important role economic marginalization plays in female offending.