NCJ Number
181358
Date Published
1999
Length
301 pages
Annotation
Drawing on extensive documentary sources and field research, this book analyzes the case histories of some 300 homicides that involved family members and frames them within their interpersonal, familial, situational, and cultural contexts.
Abstract
Drawing upon multiagency case files from the State of Florida, five chapters examine the dynamics of family killings. Chapter topics focus on men as perpetrators of multiple killings, women as perpetrators of multiple killings, the death of women in single killings, the death of men in single killings, and the death of children. Building upon an empirical breakdown of who kills whom and upon the essential demographic characteristics of perpetrators and victims, the case analysis moves into relationship histories, familial dynamics, neighborhood, subcultural and cultural phenomena, agency involvement, and various other contextual materials. Through these various resources, the author identifies patterns, the making and operation of social structures, and the intricate workings of power. This analysis of killings within families is embedded in the fabric of daily routines and interactions between persons connected through networks of kinship, those who often combine their earnings, or those who survive from a common pool of resources. The analysis explores the kinship systems of various cultural groups (African-American, Latino, Caucasian, and Asian-American), discusses types of social and gender oppression, and explores the nature of families who experience domestic homicide. The book also examines how these murders are covered by the media and considers how social policy is designed to reduce such incidents. Appended supplementary information, chapter notes, 247 references, and a subject index