Murder Victim and Offender Characteristics, 1980-1991, State of Hawaii

• NCJ Number: 150202
• Journal: Crime Trend Series Volume: 1 Issue: 2 Dated: (June 1993) Pages: complete issue
• Author(s): T M Green; J B Richmond; J E Taira
• Date Published: 1993
• Length: 12 pages
• Corporate Author: Hawaii Dept of the Attorney General
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/; NCJRS Photocopy Services
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This analysis of the numbers and characteristics of homicides in Hawaii in 1980 and 1991 notes that the 84 murders in 1980 were the greatest number recorded, while the 45 murders in 1991 represented a 46 percent decrease from that peak.

Abstract

The proportion of female victims increased from 30 to 42 percent between 1980 and 1991. Handguns were involved in 33 percent of the murders in 1980 and 27 percent in 1991. In both years, nearly three-quarters of the victims knew their killers. Six percent of all murder victims in 1980 and 11 percent in 1991 were married to their killer. In 1991, 36 percent of the female victims were killed by their spouses. The ages of the victims and offenders were positively correlated, indicating the tendency for younger offenders to have younger victims and older offenders to have older victims. In 1991, 18 percent of the murders were committed under unknown circumstances and 50 percent of the murders involved individuals of the same race or ethnicity. In 1991, 31 percent of the victims and 51 percent of the known offenders were under the influence of alcohol at the time of the killing. Only one victim and two offenders were under the influence of drugs at the time of the offense. Tables