NCJ Number
177318
Editor(s)
M D Smith,
M A Zahn
Date Published
1999
Length
320 pages
Annotation
Fourteen papers discuss issues in the study of homicide, issues involving homicide among various social groups, and proposed strategies for preventing homicide.
Abstract
The two chapters in Part I offer a framework for the remaining contributions. One of the chapters provides an overview of homicide trends in the United States during the 20th century, and the other chapter reviews the strengths and weaknesses of the major sources of homicide data. Part II contains four chapters that address special issues in the study of homicide. One chapter documents the multifaceted trends in intimate-partner homicide and speculates on what accounts for them. A chapter on serial killers/killing provides an overview of recent academic research that places this form of homicide in a context that departs from what have become popular, but erroneous, beliefs. The other two chapters in Part II address the role of drugs and alcohol in the commission of homicide and summarize the major findings of cross- national literature on homicide. The four chapters of Part III consider issues that involve homicide among various social groups, namely, African-Americans, Latinos, youth, and gangs. Three chapters examine strategies for preventing homicide, including the deterrent impact of capital punishment on homicide, the effect of gun accessibility and gun control on homicide, and a public health strategy for preventing homicide. Chapter references and tables and author and subject indexes