NCJ Number
148721
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 39 Issue: 3 Dated: (May 1994) Pages: 674-684
Date Published
1994
Length
11 pages
Annotation
This study examined 1,505 of 1,573 homicides in Jefferson County (Ala.) between 1978 and 1989 that were investigated by the coroner/medical examiner's office.
Abstract
During this period, the county's average annual homicide rate was 18.9 per 100,000 compared to 11.3 for Alabama and 9.3 for the United States. The average annual homicide rate among blacks was 41.4, almost six times the rate among white. The highest average annual race-sex-specific homicide rate was in black males (75.9), followed by black females (12.4), white males (10.4), and white females (4.1). Black males ages 25-34 had the highest rate (159.7), followed by black males ages 35-44 (151.7), and black males ages 15-24 (96.2). These rates ranged from almost eight to more than 11 times the rates for black females or white males of similar ages and were more than 33 times higher than the rates for white females of the same age. Findings emphasize the rates of violence committed by black males against other black males, the acquaintance of the black male victim and perpetrator, and the importance of arguments as an inciting event. Findings also indicated that the homicide rate for black males was declining at a great rate than for other groups and that factors such as drug use, increased availability of firearms, and increased child abuse were not major determinants of the change in homicide rates. Tables and 23 references (Author abstract modified)