NCJ Number
182325
Journal
Social Science Quarterly Volume: 81 Issue: 1 Dated: March 2000 Pages: 375-388
Date Published
March 2000
Length
14 pages
Annotation
Data from investigative records on more than 1,800 homicide cases in El Paso, Tex., and Miami, Fla., formed the basis of an analysis of homicide victim and event characteristics among in these two predominantly Hispanic cities.
Abstract
The data came from police files for 1985-94 and covered 435 homicides known to police in El Paso and the 1,370 homicides reported to police in Miami during this period. Results revealed similarities and differences in homicide patterns relevant to important policy and theoretical debates. Homicides in both cities were overwhelmingly intragroup; males comprised the majority of victims in four of five types of homicide. Intimate homicide victims were almost exclusively Hispanic females. However, important differences also emerged, despite similar employment, poverty, and family-structure characteristics for Hispanic people in both cities. Thus, Miami’s homicide rate was almost three times that of El Paso. The finding of intra-ethnic variations in patterns of homicide challenge existing theories of criminal violence and demonstrate the usefulness of using group-disaggregated data to examine both cultural and structural factors that affect violence. Tables, footnotes, and 16 references (Author abstract modified)