Homicide Studies recent issues

Reassessing the Situational Covariates of Homicides: Is There a Need to Disaggregate?

Pizarro, J. M. — 2008-09-29

Despite the vast attention the crime of homicide has received from the academic community, voids remain in the literature regarding the factors that contribute to its occurrence. Only a few studies to date have directly examined the situational covariates of varying homicide types and how each type differs from one another at the incident level. The present study seeks to add to the homicide literature by examining the situational covariates of four distinct homicide types (i.e., domestic, drug, robbery, and interpersonal dispute) that occurred in the city of Newark, New Jersey, from 1997 through 2005. Two research questions are examined: (a) What are the situational covariates of varying homicide motivational types, and (b) do the situational covariates vary by incident motive? The findings show that there are indeed differences among the homicide subtypes in terms of their temporal, event, and victim/offender characteristics. The methodological, theoretical, and policy implications are discussed.

Assessing the County-Level Structural Covariates of Police Homicides

Kaminski, R. J. — 2008-09-29

Largely paralleling research on general homicides, research on the structural covariates of murders of police has been carried out at various levels of areal aggregation. However, although the general homicide research has been extended to counties in the United States, research on murders of police has yet to follow suit. To begin to fill this gap, this study extends research on the structural covariates of police homicides to the county level. Controlling for the number of law enforcement officers at risk, we find that police were more likely to be murdered in economically depressed counties and in counties with larger percentages of African Americans, persons aged 25 to 34, and nonsheriff agencies. Police homicide risk was significantly lower in urbanized counties and in counties located in the Northeast, whereas the South was no riskier than the West or Midwest. Murders of police were unrelated to population mobility, divorce, and levels of violent crime.

Examining Offending Specialization in a Sample of Male Multiple Homicide Offenders

Wright, K. A., Pratt, T. C., DeLisi, M. — 2008-09-29

The American public's fascination with multiple homicide offenders—individuals who seemingly transcend the heinousness of "regular" homicide offenders because of their multiple victims—has grown during the past few decades. Such growth has not, however, been matched by a proportional increase in serious scholarly attention concerning whether those who kill repeatedly are, or are not, "generally" deviant. As a way of moving beyond this problem, the current analysis builds on recent work concerning multiple homicide offenders to investigate the degree to which such offenders are, in fact, more specialized in their offending careers than are other homicide offenders. The implications for continued theoretical development and empirical research are discussed.

The Contribution of Forensic Archaeology to Homicide Investigations

Schultz, J. J., Dupras, T. L. — 2008-09-29

Collecting and processing forensic evidence during a death investigation has become an endeavor that may incorporate numerous personnel from many disciplines. During death investigations, specialized forensic experts regularly consult with law enforcement agencies at city, state, and federal levels, and with medical examiner and coroner offices. These forensic experts can also provide training, specialized laboratory analyses of forensic evidence, and services for which law enforcement may have very little or no training. Forensic archaeology is one such discipline that can provide specialized expertise at the crime scene. In addition to discussing the differences between forensic anthropology and forensic archaeology, this article presents a summary of the contributions that forensic archaeology can make during the search for and processing of crime scenes involving human remains.

Linking Data Sources to Enhance Homicide Research: Guest Editor's Introduction

Wiersema, B. — 2008-07-18

Likely Errors When Linking Supplementary Homicide Report Records for Large U.S. Cities

Loftin, C., McDowall, D., Xie, M. — 2008-07-18

When linking records from the Supplementary Homicide Report (SHR) with information from other sources, such as data from the U.S. Census Bureau, errors are likely to occur because police service areas in some cities do not match the political definitions of the cities. Also, errors may occur because different places have the same or similar names. This article illustrates the problem with six cities (Jacksonville, Honolulu, Indianapolis, Baton Rouge, Las Vegas, and Nashville) and explains how discrepancies can be identified and corrected.

A Comparison of Law Enforcement and Medical Examiner Reports in a Violent-Death Surveillance System

2008-07-18

This study compared information gathered from medical examiner reports to information gathered from law enforcement reports in characterizing incidents of homicide and homicide followed by suicide that were abstracted for a public health violent-death surveillance system. The authors found that law enforcement reports contribute substantively to the surveillance system and often augment or provide additional information to the medical examiner reports. The utility of law enforcement data, particularly the narrative information, must be balanced with the time needed to gather the law enforcement reports and funding limitations. As violent-death surveillance needs grow, linking police and other law enforcement data with medical examiner and other public health data sources will provide a clearer picture of the circumstances relating to homicide and other violent deaths at the state and national level.

Data Consistency in Multiple Source Documents: Findings From Homicide Incidents in the National Violent Death Reporting System, 2003-2004

Karch, D. L., Logan, J. E. — 2008-07-18

Data from the 2003-2004 National Violent Death Reporting System were used to compare consistency of homicide variables across multiple source documents. The NVDRS integrates death certificate, coroner/medical examiner and law enforcement data. Included in this analysis are 5,737 homicide incidents. Variables include victim demographics, manner of death, autopsy and pregnancy status, place, date and location of injury/death, and suspected use of alcohol. Demographic variables matched from lows of 70.9% for marital status to 99.9% for race. Injury/death variables matched from 72.6% for date of injury to 99.5% for state of injury. Situational variables ranged from 75.6% for suspected alcohol use to 97.5% for pregnancy status. Overall, data collected across multiple source documents matched at greater than 70%; however inconsistencies have implications for analyzing data from systems with multiple source documents. Understanding and mitigating data mismatches will increase the consistency of data on which violence prevention programs are developed.

Survey of Toxicologic Testing Practices for a Violent Death Surveillance System

Larsen, G. Y., Barber, C., Kosegarten, D., Olson, L. M. — 2008-07-18

To explore the comparability of postmortem forensic toxicologic testing across jurisdictions, the authors administered a survey to 11 laboratories serving pilot sites for a violent death reporting system. With few exceptions, all sites tested for the same substances but did not use the same methodology. Limit of detection thresholds for drugs of abuse and psychoactive medications varied up to 30-fold, limiting the comparability of cross-jurisdictional toxicologic data.

Suicides and Suicide Attempts Following Homicide: Victim-Suspect Relationship, Weapon Type, and Presence of Antidepressants

2008-07-18

This study used linked, official data for population-based surveillance of homicides, suicides, and homicide–suicides in four U.S. states and four counties. Among 1,503 homicide incidents, less than 5% (n = 74) were followed by the perpetrator's suicide and 1% (n = 18) by a nonfatal suicide attempt. However, among men who killed their female intimate partner with a firearm, 59% also took their own life. Homicide–suicide perpetrators did not test positive for an antidepressant more often than other male suicide decedents (15% vs. 19%). Most (54%) perpetrators of nonfirearm homicides who attempted suicide lived; nearly all (93%) firearm perpetrators who attempted suicide died. Among men who killed their female intimate partner with a firearm, homicide–suicide was the norm. Better enforcement of existing laws designed to protect abuse victims by removing firearms from domestic abusers may also prevent abusers' suicides.

Novel Linkage of Individual and Geographic Data to Study Firearm Violence

Branas, C. C., Culhane, D., Richmond, T. S., Wiebe, D. J. — 2008-07-18

Firearm violence is the end result of a causative web of individual-level and geographic risk factors. Few, if any, studies of firearm violence have been able to simultaneously determine the population-based relative risks that individuals experience as a result of what they were doing at a specific point in time and where they were, geographically, at a specific point in time. This paper describes the linkage of individual and geographic data that was undertaken as part of a population-based case-control study of firearm violence in Philadelphia. New methods and applications of these linked data relevant to researchers and policymakers interested in firearm violence are also discussed.

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.

Homicide in an International Context: Guest Editor's Introduction

Pridemore, W. A. — 2008-01-04

Alcohol and Homicide in Eastern Europe: A Time Series Analysis of Six Countries

Bye, E. K. — 2008-01-04

Few studies have addressed the association between alcohol consumption and homicide rates at the population level in eastern European countries. The aim of the present study was to test hypotheses on how this association may vary across countries with different drinking patterns and for gender specific homicide rates. Time series analysis was used on annual alcohol consumption and homicide rates for six eastern European countries. The estimates were pooled into two groups of countries with more (Russia and Belarus) and somewhat less (Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, and former Czechoslovakia) hazardous drinking patterns. The overall results showed that annual changes in alcohol consumption were positively and significantly associated with homicide rates and also indicated that the estimates were stronger in countries with a more detrimental drinking pattern. The results suggest that alcohol consumption has an effect on homicide rates in Eastern Europe and that this effect varies with drinking pattern.

Economic Inequality and Homicide in the Developed Nations From 1975 to 1995

Jacobs, D., Richardson, A. M. — 2008-01-04

This study tests the Blau and Blau theory about the relationship between economic inequality and homicide rates. This literature has largely ignored cumulative effects and the time it takes for long-term relationships to be completed. Cross-sectional studies also have difficulty correcting for omitted variable bias, but fixed-effects panel designs can better overcome problems with dynamic relationships and omitted variables. Using moving averages to capture long-term cumulative relationships, this study uses a fixed-effects pooled time-series design to analyze the relationship between inequality and homicide rates in 14 developed democracies. The findings support Blau and Blau as they suggest that homicide rates are higher in the most unequal societies, but the nonlinear relationship the authors detect provides additional support for relative deprivation theory. Elasticities show that economic inequality and the presence of young males have strong relationships with the murder rates. These results have policy implications that are explored as well.

Reassessing the Structural Covariates of Cross-National Infant Homicide Victimization

Hunnicutt, G., LaFree, G. — 2008-01-04

Existing literature shows only four cross-national, longitudinal studies of infant homicide victimization. More than a decade has passed since this issue has been taken up in the literature. Consequently, our understanding of infant homicide over time at the cross-national level is limited. In this article, we build on the findings from these four studies using an expanded sample of countries, a longer time series, more valid measures, additional variables, and tests of gender differences. Our expanded analysis confirms many of the findings in the earlier studies but with a few important departures. As in earlier studies, the results confirm that female labor force participation and income inequality are significant predictors of infant homicide victimization rates. But we also found that compared with other countries, those that scored highest on culture of violence measures actually had significantly lower rates of infant homicide victimization.

Historical Origins of a Cross-National Puzzle: Homicide in Finland, 1750 to 2000

Savolainen, J., Lehti, M., Kivivuori, J. — 2008-01-04

Cross-national studies of homicide are dominated by theories that focus on inequality and other structural factors as the source of variation in the level of lethal violence. As a nation with a comparatively high homicide rate in the presence of a strong welfare state, Finland represents a puzzle to this paradigm. The apparent weakness of the structural approach opens the door for cultural explanations. As the basic step in this path, the purpose of this research is to examine the historical origins of the Finnish problem with lethal violence. The authors find that the homicide patterns responsible for the exceptional status of Finland are of relatively recent origin. The authors conclude the study by proposing that specific features of the Finnish welfare state inadvertently sustain a subculture of alcohol-related lethal violence.

Neighborhood Characteristics and Individual Homicide Risks: Effects of Social Cohesion, Confidence in the Police, and Socioeconomic Disadvantage

Nieuwbeerta, P., McCall, P. L., Elffers, H., Wittebrood, K. — 2008-01-04

This study tests hypotheses on the relationship between characteristics of neighborhoods in the Netherlands—their socioeconomic disadvantage, social cohesion, and residents' confidence in the police—and the likelihood of homicide victimization. These hypotheses are derived from social disorganization and strain/deprivation theory, but have rarely been tested at the neighborhood level. Furthermore, examining the validity of these hypotheses in the Netherlands, a country with relatively low homicide rates and geographically equal distributed social circumstances, provides a stronger test for the theories. Data from the Dutch Homicide Monitor 1996 to 2003, a national database of all homicides and their characteristics, are merged with data on characteristics of neighborhoods. Hierarchical logistic modeling is used to analyze the nested data. The results show that neighborhood social cohesion and socioeconomic disadvantage affect homicide risks, whereas indicators for confidence in the police do not have an effect. Implications for policy making and further theory development are discussed.

Using Mortality Data to Refine Our Understanding of Homicide Patterns in Select Postcommunist Countries

Stamatel, J. P. — 2008-01-04

This article uses mortality data from the World Health Organization to provide a descriptive overview of the patterns and trends of homicides in a select group of East-Central European countries. It compares homicide rates across 10 countries during a period of profound social changes. The data show that homicide rates in East-Central Europe during the communist period were higher than in Western Europe and were increasing even before the fall of communism in 1989. Postcommunist homicide trends increased in all the countries, but there was considerable variation in the magnitude, timing, and duration of the rising trends across countries. The demographic characteristics of homicide victims show that middle-aged men are generally the most vulnerable group to experience homicide in East-Central Europe. Discussion about the sociohistorical context of these countries and the nature of the postcommunist transformations is provided to interpret the descriptive findings and offer suggestions for further empirical research.

Explaining Differences in Homicide Clearance Rates Between Japan and the United States

Roberts, A. — 2008-01-04

Japan maintains near-perfect homicide clearance rates (around 95%, compared with roughly 60% in the United States). This study explored possible explanations for higher homicide clearance rates in Japan than in the United States. Using recent (2000 to 2004) official summary statistics, this study found that Japanese homicides contain a higher proportion of "easy-to-clear" cases, including those with nonfirearm weapons, family member offenders, and child (and not teenager or young adult) victims, than do American homicides. Also the Japanese categorization of homicides in official statistics includes cases favorable to clearance (attempted homicide) and excludes cases unfavorable to clearance (robbery-homicide). These findings suggest caution in attributing Japan's higher homicide clearance rates exclusively to police effectiveness or citizen–police cooperation. Suggestions for future multivariate research are also discussed.

The Homicide Drop in Postwar Japan

Johnson, D. T. — 2008-01-04

Japan's homicide rate dropped 70% in the last 50 years, and the nation now has one of the lowest homicide rates in the world. A decline of this magnitude has been documented in few other contemporary social settings. One key feature of the fall is young Japanese males, who now commit one tenth as many homicides as their counterparts did in 1955. At present, Japan's homicide rate is higher among men in their 50s than among males aged 20 to 24. This article describes Japan's postwar homicide decline and the vanishing young killer in particular. More is known about who is responsible for the decline than about what has caused it. The search for a more satisfying explanation of Japan's homicide drop should be a high priority in homicide studies.