NCJ Number
226104
Date Published
December 2008
Length
25 pages
Annotation
This review of recent U.S. homicide trends by race of offenders and victims, as well as weapons used, shows a surge in homicides that involve young Black males and guns.
Abstract
Although overall homicide levels in the United States have fluctuated very little in recent years, those that involve young victims and perpetrators, particularly young Black males, have surged. From 2002 to 2007, the number of homicides that involved Black male juveniles as victims increased 31 percent, and as perpetrators by 43 percent. Gun killings in this same population subgroup constituted 54 percent of the cases for young Black male victims and 47 percent for young Black male perpetrators. The percentage of homicides that have involved a gun has increased since 2000, both among young White offenders and Black offenders of all ages, with the percentage of gun homicide reaching nearly 85 percent for young Black offenders. These trends parallel various Federal legislative initiatives that have reduced the extent of surveillance on illegal gun markets. Time-of-day patterns of violent criminal victimization of youth ages 6-17 show clear differences between school days and out-of-school periods, with the risk increasing during the after-school hours on school days. On nonschool days, the violent victimization of youth occurs most often in late-evening hours, particularly on summer weekends. Projected future demographics suggest that the risk of homicide for and by Black and Hispanic youth should continue to increase, contrasting with the relatively limited homicide increase expected among White children. The resurgence in homicides, especially among minority youth, indicate the importance of restoring Federal funding for crime prevention and crime control, which has declined sharply in recent years. 10 figures and 10 tables