1997-98 Academy Text Supplement
Chapter 16
Homicide: Its Impact and Consequences
Statistical Overview
- In 1996, the estimated number of persons murdered in the United States was 19,645. The
1996 figure was down nine percent from 1995, 17 percent from 1992, and two percent
from the 1987 level. (Federal Bureau of Investigation. (released September 28, 1997). Crime in the
United States, Uniform Crime Reports, 1996, p. 14. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice.)
- As compared to 1995 figures, reported murders in 1996 dropped 10 percent in the
nation's cities, nine percent in suburban counties, and six percent in rural counties. The
greatest decrease -- 13 percent -- was registered in cities with populations of 250,000 to
499,999. (Ibid.)
- All four regions of the United States showed declines in the number of murders reported
from 1995-1996. The greatest drops were in the Northeast and West, which each
experienced a 13 percent decrease in reported murders. Reported murders in the South
and Midwest decreased by seven percent in 1996. (Ibid.)
- Down 10 percent from 1995, the national murder rate in 1996 was 7.4 per 100,000
inhabitants, the lowest rate since 1985. Five- and ten-year trends show the 1996 murder
rate was 20 percent lower than in 1992, and 11 percent below the 1987 rate. (Ibid.)
- Based on supplemental data about 15,848 of the estimated 19,645 murders in 1996: 77
percent of the victims were males and 87 percent were persons 18 years of age or older.
Forty-three percent were ages 20 through 34. The percentages of whites and blacks
murdered were equal at 49 percent, and other races accounted for the remainder. (Ibid.)
- In 1996, according to supplemental data reported for 18,108 offenders, 90 percent of the
offenders for whom sex and age were reported were male, and 86 percent were persons
18 of age and older. Sixty-nine percent were ages 17-34. Of offenders for whom race
was known, 52 percent were black, 45 percent were white, and the remainder were
persons of other races. (Ibid.)
- Murder is most often intraracial among victims and offenders. In 1996, data based on
incidents involving one victim and one offender show that 93 percent of the black murder
victims were slain by black offenders, and 85 percent of white murder victims were killed
by white offenders. (Ibid.)
- Males were most often slain by males (89 percent in single victim/single offender
situations). These same data show, however, that nine out of 10 female victims were
murdered by males. (Ibid.)
- As in previous years, firearms were used in approximately seven out of every 10 murders
committed in the nation. (Ibid., p. 17)
- In 1996, over 50 percent of all murder victims knew their assailants: 13 percent were
related and 38 percent were acquainted. Fifteen percent of the victims were murdered by
strangers, while the relationships among victims and offenders were unknown for 35
percent of the murders. (Ibid., p. 17)
- Fifty-five law enforcement officers were feloniously slain in the line of duty during 1996,
19 fewer than in 1995. (Ibid., p. 285)
- There were 22,100 murders committed in the United States in 1994. The murder rate was
8.9 per 100,000 inhabitants. (Bureau of Justice Statistics. Sourcebook of Criminal Justice
Statistics, 1995. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice.)
- Sexual assault murders were about twice as likely to involve victims and offenders who
were strangers (39.2 percent versus 20.9 percent). (Bureau of Justice Statistics. National
Crime Victimization Survey, 1995. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice.)
- Between 1980 and 1994, the number of whites killed by acquaintances increased 44
percent, while the number of blacks killed by acquaintances increased 115 percent.
(Bureau of Justice Statistics. "Young Black Male Victims." Crime Data Brief, 1994, National Crime
Victimization Survey 1995. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice.)
- Female homicide victims are more than twice as likely to be killed by husbands or
boyfriends than male victims are to be killed by wives or girlfriends. Husbands and
boyfriends are responsible for 26 percent of female homicides, whereas wives and
girlfriends are responsible for three percent of male homicides. (Federal Bureau of
Investigation. (1995). Crime in the United States. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice.)
- Since the mid-1980s, the increases in both the number and rate of murder among 15 to
17 year olds, and particularly among black youth in this age range, have outpaced changes
in murder in all other age groups. (Greenfeld, L. (1996, March). "Child Victimizers: Violent
Offenders and Their Victims." Executive Summary. Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice Statistics &
Office for Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, U.S. Department of Justice.)
- Most child murders in 1994 were at the hands of an acquaintance (38 percent), with
family members accounting for 22 percent, strangers seven percent, and unknown
offenders 30 percent. (Ibid.)
-
If current trends continue, by the year 2010 the number of juvenile arrests for murder is
expected to increase 145% over the 1992 rates of arrests. (Office of Juvenile Justice and
Delinquency Prevention. (1995, May). "Juvenile Offenders and Victims: A Focus on Violence" Statistics
Summary. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice.)
- Any juvenile between ages 12 and 17 is more likely to be the victim of violent crime than
are persons past their mid-twenties. (Ibid.)
Death Notification
Each year, thousands of loved ones of homicide victims receive the tragic notification of the death
of their family member. All too often, this terrible news comes to the surviving victims in an
insensitive manner. Surviving family members and significant others of homicide victims report
horror stories of having received such notification over the telephone, on answering machines,
or via broadcasts by the media -- rather than in person. Often, families are given confusing or
inaccurate information.
- In 1995, recognizing the importance of ensuring that law enforcement personnel
and the clergy are trained about providing a sensitive and appropriate response to
survivors of homicide, the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) supported the
development of a training curriculum and an accompanying videotape for law
enforcement professionals and members of the clergy by Mothers Against Drunk
Driving.
- Over the past two years, MADD has conducted trainings about death notification
across the nation. For additional information about MADD's Death Notification
Training Program, see "Death Notification: Breaking the Bad News with Concern
for the Professional and Compassion for the Survivor," NCJ-162360 (sponsored
by the Office for Victims of Crime and Mothers Against Drunk Driving, Death
Notification Seminar and Training of Trainers, 1996).
Strategies for Reducing Homicide
In December of 1997, the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics released a
report entitled Strategies for Reducing Homicide: The Comprehensive Homicide Initiative in
Richmond, California. In 1995, the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) funded the
Comprehensive Homicide Initiative to pilot the application of multifaceted strategies to reduce
homicide. The strategies were based on recommendations from experts who attended a summit
addressing murder convened in 1995 by the International Association of Chiefs of Police. As a
result of the summit, 39 recommendations were set forth, including developing community-wide
strategies involving law enforcement, community, government, legislative, education, and training
initiatives. In general, the recommendations called for greater cooperative problem-
solving among agencies, organizations, and the community to recognize the need for both short-term solutions and longer terms goals that address the root causes of violence. Two cities were
selected by BJS to pilot the suggested homicide reduction strategies. This report provides findings
from Richmond, California, the first city to fully reach the implementation stage. (Fyfe, Goldkamp,
& White. (1997, December). Strategies for Reducing Homicide: The Comprehensive Homicide Initiative in
Richmond, California, NCJ-168100. Washington, DC: Crime and Justice Research Institute, Bureau of Justice
Assistance, U.S. Department of Justice.)
New Homicide Research
In December of 1997, the National Institute of Justice released a research report entitled
Homicide in Eight U.S. Cities: Trends, Context, and Policy Implications. The report examined
several factors that have been anecdotally or theoretically linked to violence and homicide. Eight
cities that experienced dramatically different homicide trends between 1985-1994 were selected
to participate in the study. Their total population was about four million, and represented eight
percent of the nation's homicides during the study period.
The report cited trends that cut across all cities regardless of their rates of homicide. These
included:
- An increasing rate of homicide victimization among young males, particularly
young black males.
- Guns played an increasing role in homicide deaths -- representing an increasing
proportion of all homicides, regardless of whether the number of homicides in a
city was increasing or decreasing.
- Crack cocaine use and homicide victimization rates were strongly correlated both
by interviews and by an analysis of drug use data.
However, strong patterns did not emerge in many areas. For example, study respondents linked
the availability of and quality of emergency medical services (EMS) to reductions in death rates,
but researchers could not confirm these opinions with available data. Most importantly, the study
showed that the nature of homicide differs across cities. The authors noted that this suggests a
strong need for community responses that are local and based on data that reflect specific local
trends. (Lattimore, et al. (1997, December). Homicide In Eight U.S. Cities: Trends, Context, and Policy
Implications, An Intramural Research Project, NCJ-167262. Washington, DC: National Institute of Justice, U.S.
Department of Justice.)