SUICIDE AND HOMICIDE - A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS BY RACE AND OCCUPATIONAL LEVELS

• NCJ Number: 48272
• Journal: JOURNAL OF CRIMINAL LAW, CRIMINOLOGY AND POLICE SCIENCE Volume: 59 Issue: 2 Dated: (1968) Pages: 191-200
• Author(s): M LALLI; S H TURNER
• Date Published: 1968
• Length: 10 pages
• Corporate Author: Northwestern University; Williams and Wilkins Co
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

TO EXAMINE THE ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN RACE AND OCCUPATIONAL LEVEL AND SUICIDE AND HOMICIDE RATES, 1950 STATISTICAL DATA ON 9, 709 SUICIDES AND 5,183 HOMICIDES FOR WHITE AND NONWHITE MALES 20 TO 64 YARS OLD WERE ASSESSED.

Abstract

FOR WHITE MALES, SUICIDE AND HOMICIDE RATES ARE HIGHEST AMONG UNSKILLED WORKERS; AND BOTH HOMICIDE AND SUICIDE TEND TO DECREASE AS OCCUPATIONAL LEVEL RISES, ALTHOUGH DIFFERENCES IN SUICIDE RATES ARE SMALL AMONG ALL OCCUPATIONAL LEVELS OTHER THAN UNSKILLED WORKERS. IN CONTRAST, BLACK SUICIDE RATES ARE LOW, ABOUT HALF THE COMPARATIVE WHITE RATES, AND VARY LITTLE AMONG OCCUPATIONAL LEVELS. HOWEVER, BLACK HOMICIDE RATES ARE GENERALLY HIGH AT ALL OCCUPATIONAL LEVELS BUT TEND TO DECREASE WITH INCREASING OCCUPATIONAL LEVEL. AS IS THE CASE WITH WHITE MALES, HOMICIDE RATES ARE HIGHEST FOR UNSKILLED BLACK WORKERS. A VARIETY OF ANOMIE, SOCIOECONOMIC, SOCIOCULTURAL, PERSONALITY, AND FAMILIAL/ENVIRONMENTAL THEORIES OF HOMICIDE, SUICIDE, AND THEIR RELATIONSHIPS ARE EXAMINED, BUT NONE SATISFACTORILY, EXPLAINS THE EMPIRICAL DATA. HOWEVER, FROM THESE, A NUMBER OF GENERALIZATIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH CAN BE MADE WHICH WOULD ADEQUATELY REFLECT EMPIRICAL RESULTS. FIRST, IN A SOCIAL SYSTEM MADE UP OF AN OPEN SOCIETY WHICH HAS A CLOSED SOCIETY WITHIN IT, THE OPEN SOCIETY WILL TEND TO DIRECT VIOLENCE INWARDLY WHILE THE CLOSED SOCIETY WILL DIRECT VIOLENCE EXTERNALLY THIS IMPLIES THAT FOR WHITES, SUICIDE RATES WILL BE HIGHER THAN HOMICIDE RATES, AND; FOR BLACKS, HOMICIDE RATES WILL BE HIGHER THAN SUICIDE RATES. SECOND, THE RATE OF THE TYPICAL FORM OF VIOLENCE IN THE CLOSED GROUP WILL BE HIGHER THAN THE RATE OF THE TYPICAL FORM OF VIOLENCE IN THE CLOSED GROUP WILL BE HIGHER THAN THE RATE OF THE TYPICAL FORM OF VIOLENCE FOR THE OPEN GROUP, AND THE RATE OF THE ATYPICAL FORM OF VIOLENCE IN THE CLOSED GROUP WILL BE HIGHER THAN THE RATE OF ATYPICAL VIOLENCE IN THE OPEN GROUP. THUS, THE RATE OF NONWHITE HOMICIDE WILL BE HIGHER THAN THE RATE OF WHITE SUICIDE, AND THE NONWHITE SUICIDE RATE WILL BE HIGHER THAN THE WHITE HOMICIDE RATE, FINALLY, THE RATES OF VIOLENCE, BOTH INTERNALLY AND EXTERNALLY DIRECTED, WILL INCREASE AS CLASS (OCCUPATIONAL LEVEL) DECREASES. (JAP)