Indeed, about three-fourths of all homicides involve nonstrangers, and only one-fourth involve strangers. Second, and related to the first aspect, most homicide offenders and victims knew each other before the homicide occurred. About 25–50 percent of all homicides are victim-precipitated, meaning that the eventual victim is the one who starts the argument or the first one to escalate it once it has begun. A fight may then ensue that results in a fatal injury, but one of the antagonists may also pick up a weapon and use it. Two people may begin arguing for any number of reasons, and things escalate. First, although some homicides are premeditated, most in fact are relatively spontaneous and the result of intense emotions like anger, hatred, or jealousy (Fox, Levin, & Quinet, 2012). For its part, the focus on rape and sexual assault reflects the contemporary women’s movement’s interest in these related crimes beginning in the 1970s and the corresponding interest of criminologists, both female and male, in the criminal victimization of women.Ĭertain aspects of homicide are worth noting. As well, homicide data are considered more accurate than those for other crimes because most homicides come to the attention of the police and are more likely than other crimes to lead to an arrest. Homicide, of course, is considered the most serious crime because it involves the taking of a human life.
Research on violent crime tends to focus on homicide and on rape and sexual assault. Sourcebook of criminal justice statistics.
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