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Homicide in North Dakota, 2000

NCJ Number
203890
Author(s)
Judith H. Volk
Date Published
February 2002
Length
20 pages
Annotation
This 2000 Annual Report presents information about homicide in North Dakota for 2000 and offers a trend analysis for the years 1978 through 2000.
Abstract
In North Dakota during 2000, a total of eight homicides were reported to the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program. This represents 1.2 homicides per 100,000 people. Of these eight homicides, all of the victims were adults, six of the homicides were a result of a domestic violence incident, seven of the identified assailants were male, all of the identified assailants were adults, and firearms were involved in three of the homicides. The remainder of the report offers a trend analysis of homicide in North Dakota from the year 1978 through 2000. During this time period, there were a total of 258 homicides, with an average of 11 homicides per year. Of these 258 homicide victims, 59 percent were male and 85 percent were adults. Fifty-one percent of the 258 homicides involved a firearm during the period 1978 through 2000; 47 percent of the male homicide victims and 57 percent of the female homicide victims were killed with a firearm. Knives were involved in 25 percent of the male homicides and 11 percent of the female homicides. The month of December had the highest number of deaths from homicide during the period 1978 through 2000, followed by September and March. The characteristics of domestic violence homicides are presented and include a full 51 percent of the homicides for the period 1978 through 2000. Victims killed in domestic violence incidents were more likely to be killed with a firearm than victims killed in non-domestic violence incidents. Of the total homicides from 1978 to 2000, 72 percent of the female victims and 36 percent of the male victims were killed in domestic violence incidents. Data on clearance rates are offered; the average clearance rate for homicide in North Dakota was 95 percent during the period 1978 through 2000. Finally, the report offers information about identified assailant and weapons characteristics. During 1978 through 2000, 89 percent of the identified assailants were male and 85 percent were adults. Male assailants were more likely to use firearms during the commission of a homicide, while females were more likely to use knives. Tables