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Urban Homicide: Still the Same

NCJ Number
119295
Journal
Journal of Quantitative Criminology Volume: 5 Issue: 1 Dated: (March 1989) Pages: 83-100
Author(s)
A Barnett; E Schwartz
Date Published
1989
Length
18 pages
Annotation
This article analyzes past and present data to determine the risk of being a homicide victim in large cities.
Abstract
Data of 1984 to 1986 are used to estimate lifetime risks of being murdered in each of 50 large American cities, and these projections are compared to others made earlier from 1971 to 1972 and 1976 to 1977 data. Strong constancy was found over time in the average urban resident's murder risk (essentially a 1 in 68 chance of eventually being slain). Moreover, a high stability was found in the dispersion of risk by region, race, and city size and in the relative rankings of the 50 cities by murder risk. The recent phenomena as the proliferation of crack and the resumption of capital punishment are discussed. 8 tables, 2 references. (Author abstract modified)