Homicide Overview and Legal Definitions

Overview of Homicide

• Homicide is defined as the unlawful killing of another person.
• The module investigates homicide's prevalence, incidence, and common explanations, comparing these to mass and serial homicide.

Legal Definitions

• Homicide: Unlawful killing of one person by another.
• Different degrees of homicide are based on intent (mens rea).
• Distinction between:
  • First Degree Murder: Contains premeditation; the act is planned, even briefly.
    • Example: A murder planned in advance.
  • Second Degree Murder: Unintentional killing without premeditation; often occurs in a fit of rage.
    • Example: Finding a spouse with another individual and reacting violently.
• Both types involve the same actus reus (guilty act) but differ in mens rea (intent).

Homicide Statistics

• Approx. 16,000 homicides occur in the US annually.
• Homicide rate of about 4.5 to 5 per 100,000 population.
• Homicide rates have declined since the early 1990s but showed a slight recent increase, partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic presence.
• Younger populations are most prone to committing homicide; as populations age, crime rates tend to drop.

Crime Reporting and Context

• Data sourced from the FBI Uniform Crime Reports covering major violent and property crimes.
• Homicide accounts for about 1% of all serious violent crimes reported.
• Homicide represents 0.1% of all serious crimes.
• Homicide is more likely to be reported compared to crimes like rape or robbery, where reporting rates are lower.

International Comparison

• US homicide rates are significantly higher compared to other industrialized nations:
  • Approximately 3 times higher than Canada
  • 4 times higher than England
  • 5 times higher than Japan
• Some countries in Central and South America experience homicide rates significantly higher than the US due to drug trafficking and organized crime.
• Firearms are responsible for about two-thirds of all homicides in the US.

Urban Influence on Homicide Rates

• Urbanism: Larger cities tend to have higher homicide rates than smaller areas.

Explanations:

1. Social control perspective:

   • Urban anonymity may reduce social constraints on behavior; individuals do not know their neighbors, thus less social shame and control.
   • Example: In small towns, crime draws public attention and shame, curbing deviance.

2. Composition perspective:

   • Large cities attract younger and unmarried individuals more likely to commit crimes.
   • Defined demographics often lead to higher crime rates in cities.

3. Subcultural perspective:

   • Large cities provide environments for criminal subcultures to thrive, which could contribute to higher homicide rates.
   • The density of specific groups can lead to increased criminal activity

Murder Inequality

• Murder inequality reflects significant variation in homicide rates within cities; certain neighborhoods have far higher rates.
• For example, neighborhoods in cities like St. Louis and Chicago exhibit vastly different homicide rates.
  • In St. Louis, certain neighborhoods have rates 15 times higher than other parts of the city.
• Crime prevention strategies could benefit from targeting specific high-risk areas rather than looking at aggregate city crime rates.

Conclusion

• Homicide is a complex societal issue with significant implications that go beyond mass shootings, as mass shootings account for less than 1% of all gun-related homicides annually.
• The localized nature of crime, particularly in urban areas, suggests that focused interventions could be more effective in reducing homicide rates overall.