NCJ Number
140547
Date Published
1992
Length
53 pages
Annotation
This report describes and analyzes the characteristics of homicide incidents in Australia that occurred between July 1990 and June 1991, as well as the victims and offenders involved in them.
Abstract
Data on homicide incidents address jurisdiction, geographic area, location, time of day/day of week, drug involvement, precipitating factors, and weapon/method. Data on both the victims and offenders encompass sex and age, marital status, employment, country of birth, racial appearance, alcohol/drug use, and criminal history. Data on offender suicide following murder are also provided. Figures on the relationship between victims and offenders are presented under the rubrics of girlfriend/boyfriend, strangers, other family, parent-child, spouse, friends/acquaintances, other known, and unknown. The homicide rate increased slightly from 1.9 per 100,000 population in 1989-90 to 2.1 in 1990-91, an increase from 330 victims in 1989-90 to 351 in 1990-91. The proportion of male victims to female victims was approximately 3 to 2. The proportion of male offenders to female offenders was 9 to 1. Aboriginal people were vastly overrepresented among both homicide victims and offenders. Homicide remained overwhelmingly intraracial, and no incidents appeared to be racially motivated. Firearms were used in just under one- quarter of incidents; knives and assaults were the most common methods. Approximately 40 percent of homicides where the victim-offender relationship was recorded were between intimates, both spousal and other family members; approximately two-thirds of these domestic homicides were between spouses. The incidence of stranger homicide remained low, and there was no indication of serial offending. 12 tables and 7 figures