NCJ Number
100993
Date Published
1983
Length
30 pages
Annotation
Mortality data on homicide victims for 1970-78, obtained from the National Center for Health Statistics, cover the number and characteristics of such victims.
Abstract
Data are based on death certificate information received by the center from the 50 States and the District of Columbia. Data encompass deaths from injuries intentionally inflicted by other persons, from police interventions, and from legal executions. Victim and incident data cover sex, age, race, State and county of occurrence, urban patterns, weapons, month of occurrence, and homicide compared with other causes of death. A total of 178,467 homicides were reported for 1970-78, with the homicide rate increasing from 8.3 per 100,000 population in 1970 to 10.2 in 1974 and decreasing to 9.4 in 1978. Victims were disproportionately young, male, and from racial minorities. Although homicide rates decreased among minority races and increased for whites, racial minorities continued to be at higher risk for death from homicide. Homicides occurred more often in the South than in other regions. Firearms and explosives were the most common weapons, and homicides were most likely to occur on the weekends during the summer and fall. Compared to other death causes in the United States in 1978, homicide ranked fourth with regard to the potential years of life lost to victims between the ages of 1 and 64. 12 tables, 5 graphs, and 5 references.