Making Sense of Homicide: Male-on-Male Lethal Violence

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering male-on-male homicide, including instrumental versus expressive violence, Luckenbill's 6-stage model of situated transactions, confrontational versus revenge homicides, and sociocultural factors of masculinity and alcohol.

Homicide

The killing of a human being, whether the killing is lawful or unlawful (Brookman, 2022).

Lawful Killing

A homicide recognized as legally justified or authorized, such as wartime killings, state executions via the death penalty, a boxer killing an opponent in the ring, or a police officer killing in the execution of duty.

Voluntary Manslaughter

An unlawful killing that meets the elements of murder but is reduced based on a partial defence: Diminished Responsibility, Loss of Control, or Suicide Pact.

Involuntary Manslaughter

An unlawful killing committed without the intent required for murder, subdivided into Gross Negligence Manslaughter and Unlawful Act Manslaughter.

Instrumental Violence

Violence used purposefully to accomplish another goal, typically characterized by pre-planning and offending directed toward financial gain, material gain, or extracting information (Block and Block, 1991).

Expressive Violence

Emotion-driven violence arising from anger and aggression, which is typically impulsive and often the result of an interpersonal verbal altercation or confrontation (Block and Block, 1991).

Expressive Offensive vs. Expressive Defensive Violence

A theoretical refinement by Fox and Allen (2014) proposing that expressive violence can be categorized as offensive or defensive, while asserting that an instrumental defensive category cannot exist.

Situated Transaction

A dynamic model of homicide (Luckenbill, 1977) viewing lethal violence not as an isolated act, but as a sequential, interactional chain of moves and counter-moves between offender and victim.

Opening Move (Luckenbill's Stage 1)

The initial stage of a situated transaction where the victim affronts the offender through insults or non-compliance.

Interpretation (Luckenbill's Stage 2)

The second stage of Luckenbill's model where the offender subjectively interprets the victim's words or actions as personally offensive.

Offender Response (Luckenbill's Stage 3)

The third stage where the offender retaliates with a challenge or physical attack; in Luckenbill's sample, 10 per cent of victims met their demise at this point.

Victim Response (Luckenbill's Stage 4)

The fourth stage of Luckenbill's model where the victim, if not already eliminated, refuses to comply with the offender's command or challenge and physically retaliates.

Working Agreement (Luckenbill's Stage 5)

The fifth stage of a situated transaction where both parties mutually forge an explicit or implicit commitment to engage in physical combat.

The Aftermath (Luckenbill's Stage 6)

The concluding stage marked by the victim falling, after which the offender either flees, voluntarily remains at the scene, or is involuntarily detained by onlookers or the police.

Disengagement

The critical behavioral choice available to participants throughout an encounter; the failure to disengage differentiates altercations resulting in lethal violence from non-lethal ones.

Confrontational Homicide

A spontaneous, unplanned lethal conflict arising from an offender's violent reaction to perceived disrespect, described by Brookman (2005) as 'face to face spontaneous honour disputes' often involving an audience and alcohol.

Victim Precipitation

A criminological concept describing scenarios where the eventual victim plays an active role in initiating or instigating the conflict that leads to their homicide.

Revenge Homicide

A planned, targeted attack aimed at 'righting a perceived wrong' (Brookman, 2022), typically distinguished by weapon procurement, a temporal lapse after the initial slight, and giving the victim little or no chance to respond.

Doing Masculinity

The performative demonstration of male identity through physical violence, where winning establishes a man as 'victor' and losing proves he is tough enough to 'take a beating' and control pain (Polk, 1994).

Role of Alcohol in Male Lethal Violence

A situational catalyst that contributes to violent altercations by acting simultaneously as a behavioural disinhibitor and a confidence builder.