Long-term Trends in Homicide: Theoretical Reflections and Dutch Evidence, Fifteenth to Twentieth Centuries (From Civilization of Crime: Violence in Town and Country Since the Middle Ages, P 63-105, 1996, Eric A. Johnson and Eric H. Monkkonen, eds. - See NCJ-169788)

• NCJ Number: 169791
• Author(s): P Spierenburg
• Date Published: 1996
• Length: 43 pages
• Sale Source: University of Illinois Press
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This analysis of homicides in the Netherlands from the 15th to the 20th centuries concludes that homicidal violence definitely declined in Amsterdam at least until the first decades of 19th century and that the rest of the Netherlands also experienced the long-term decline first noted in England during this period.

Abstract

The analysis examines the theoretical foundations of the study of homicide, proposes methodological refinements based on the theoretical analysis, and uses empirical data to test the hypotheses resulting from the theoretical and methodological discussions. It examines both court and autopsy statistics. The findings challenge the thesis that Dutch society has traditionally been nonviolent in comparison with other European countries. The declining trend in the Netherlands starting in the 15th century was steeper than that in England. It also began at a much higher level than in England and stayed relatively high well into the 18th century. The current homicide rate is now at approximately the same level as the third quarter of the 18th century. However, the national rate is much lower than that of Amsterdam, and in Amsterdam much homicide has occurred in connection with drug trafficking. Thus, the idea of a marginalization of homicide appears to hold for the Netherlands and the contemporary rates are consistent with the theory of Elias. Tables and reference notes