As we discuss in Section 3.1 “Racial and Ethnic Inequality: A Historical Prelude”, males are much more likely than women to commit most forms of crime, and this is especially true for homicide and other violent crime. While African Americans do commit about half of all homicides, most of their victims are also African American.įifth, males commit about 90 percent of all homicides and females commit only 10 percent. Although whites fear victimization by African Americans more than by whites, whites in fact are much more likely to be killed by other whites than by African Americans. For single offender/single victim homicides where the race of both parties is known, about 90 percent of African American victims are killed by African American offenders, and about 83 percent of white victims are killed by white offenders (Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2011). Combining these first three aspects, then, the most typical homicide involves nonstrangers who have an argument that escalates and then results in the use of deadly force when one of the antagonists uses a handgun.įourth, most homicides (as most violent crime in general) are intraracial, meaning that they occur within the same race the offender and victim are of the same race. To be a bit more precise, just over half involve a handgun, and the remaining firearm-related homicides involve a shotgun, rifle, or another undetermined firearm. Third, about two-thirds of homicides involve firearms. Geoffery Fairchild – The Robbery – CC BY 2.0.
Thus although fear of a deadly attack by a stranger dominates the American consciousness, we in fact are much more likely on average to be killed by someone we know than by someone we do not know. Intimate partners (spouses, ex-spouses, and current and former partners) and other relatives commit almost 30 percent of all homicides (Messner, Deane, & Beaulieu, 2002). Indeed, about three-fourths of all homicides involve nonstrangers, and only one-fourth involve strangers. Second, and related to the first aspect, most homicide offenders and victims knew each other before the homicide occurred. About 25–50 percent of all homicides are victim-precipitated, meaning that the eventual victim is the one who starts the argument or the first one to escalate it once it has begun. A fight may then ensue that results in a fatal injury, but one of the antagonists may also pick up a weapon and use it. Two people may begin arguing for any number of reasons, and things escalate. First, although some homicides are premeditated, most in fact are relatively spontaneous and the result of intense emotions like anger, hatred, or jealousy (Fox, Levin, & Quinet, 2012). For its part, the focus on rape and sexual assault reflects the contemporary women’s movement’s interest in these related crimes beginning in the 1970s and the corresponding interest of criminologists, both female and male, in the criminal victimization of women.Ĭertain aspects of homicide are worth noting.
As well, homicide data are considered more accurate than those for other crimes because most homicides come to the attention of the police and are more likely than other crimes to lead to an arrest. Homicide, of course, is considered the most serious crime because it involves the taking of a human life. Research on violent crime tends to focus on homicide and on rape and sexual assault. Sourcebook of criminal justice statistics.
0 kommentar(er)
