Child Homicide in the City of Los Angeles: An Epidemiologic Examination of a Decade of Deaths (From Violence and Sexual Abuse at Home: Current Issues in Spousal Battering and Child Maltreatment, P 189-205, 1997, Robert Geffner, et al., eds. -- See NCJ-168285)

• NCJ Number: 168295
• Author(s): S B Sorenson; J G Peterson; B A Richardson
• Date Published: 1997
• Length: 17 pages
• Grant Number(s): R49/CCR903622
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Health and Human Services; Southern California Injury Prevention Research Ctr
• Sale Source: Haworth Press, Inc
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This investigation examined the deaths of 246 children up to 14 years of age which were classified as homicides by the Los Angeles Police Department between 1980 and 1989.

Abstract

Special attention was paid to the suspect-victim relationship and to victim race because of their relevance to prevention and program planning. Results showed family members were suspects in 49.8 percent of the cases (mother 14.5 percent, father 13.6 percent, mother's paramour 8.5 percent, male and female caretakers 11.1 percent, and other family members 2.1 percent). Few differences emerged among black, Hispanic, and non- Hispanic white child victims. Non-Hispanic white victims had the highest proportion (67.7 percent) and Hispanic victims had the lowest proportion (42.7 percent) of within-family suspects. The findings emphasize the need to focus on the actions of male caregivers and indicate the relationship between the victim and the suspect is an important component of understanding and preventing child homicide. 28 references, 2 notes, and 6 tables