NCJ Number
173136
Journal
Homicide Studies Volume: 2 Issue: 2 Dated: May 1998 Pages: 101-129
Date Published
1998
Length
29 pages
Annotation
In 1990, a study identified the emergence of a new phase of violent behavior occurring in low-income black communities but did not elaborate on its etiology; the current study focused on the 8-year interval between 1985 and 1993 to examine the nature of black homicide in urban America.
Abstract
The 1990 study showed homicide in larger black communities began to abate after a 1980 peak, only to begin another cyclical upswing 5 years later. During the 1985-1993 period, aggregate levels of homicide victimization declined, but young black males between 15 and 19 years of age emerged as the group most at risk of homicide victimization. By 1991, black males in this age group experienced a mean homicide rate of 140 per 100,000, almost tripling the observed rate in 1985. Homicide victimizations in Atlanta, Detroit, St. Louis, Los Angeles, the District of Columbia, New Orleans, Milwaukee, and Charlotte were analyzed. Data used to evaluate emerging patterns of youthful victimization were obtained from the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Supplemental Homicide Reports for 1990 and 1993. Specifically, the analysis attempted to measure the magnitude of the increase in youthful black male victimizations. The factor that distinguished homicides in the 1985-1993 analysis from the 1990 study was that the age of both victimization and offending moved downward. The development of an oppositional culture among young black males was identified as an important element in accounting for the upsurge in lethal victimizations in large urban centers. The oppositional culture tended to be marked by lack of value for human life and alienation from mainstream values due to economic circumstances. 43 references, 1 note, 4 tables, and figures