Records were transcribed from materials gathered manually from two sources, HIU logs and supplemental reports of police detectives. Written descriptions of homicide narratives provided case details and allowed a closer examination of the circumstances surrounding each homicide. The focus was on 673 homicides reported between 1990 and 1994. Data on these homicides were organized by victim characteristics, especially ethnicity. Findings revealed variations among white, black, and Latino homicide victims. Relative to Miami's population, large disparities existed among both black and Latino victims. Black victims were over-represented in most categories, including homicide circumstances; had a higher percentage of intergroup killings; and were more likely to be killed by black males, young offenders, and multiple suspects and with guns. Contrary to predictions, Latinos were killed at a rate half their population size. Whites represented the only group consistently killed at a rate in proportion to their population size. The author concludes that incorporating ethnic identification extends the understanding of urban homicide. 6 references and 1 table
Examining Ethnic Distinctions in Victim-Offender Homicides: The Case of Miami in the 1990s (From Nature of Homicide: Trends and Changes - Proceedings of the 1996 Meeting of the Homicide Research Working Group, Santa Monica, California, P 140-145, 1996, Pamela K Lattimore and Cynthia A Nahabedian, ed
NCJ Number
168582
Date Published
1996
Length
6 pages
Annotation
Data were obtained from the Homicide Investigations Unit (HIU) of the Miami Police Department to explore the role of ethnicity and homicide event characteristics in assessing the relationship between homicide victims and offenders.
Abstract