NCJ Number
97902
Date Published
1984
Length
27 pages
Annotation
Patterns in criminal homicides and aggravated assaults are discussed in terms of violence theories.
Abstract
Data indicate that in 1981, 10 out of every 100,000 Americans were murdered, and 281 out of every 100,000 were reported victims of aggravated assault. Interpretations of the data suggest that murder and assault are not distributed evenly or randomly within society, but occur disproportionately in certain areas and among certain categories of people. Trends relating to region, urbanism, age, sex, race, class, relationship between offender and victim, and criminal history are explored. An analysis of societal reaction to murder and assault and its relationship to the punishment and treatment of offenders indicates that regardless of the respondent's age, sex, race, and income, murder was ranked as the most serious offense; assault and battery with a weapon ranked sixth in seriousness. It is suggested that a social-psychological understanding of violent crime may be more plausible than the purely psychiatric model currently used in analyzing violent crime. Sixty references are listed.