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Race and Homicide in the U.S. National Longitudinal Mortality Study

NCJ Number
218118
Journal
Journal of Ethnicity in Criminal Justice Volume: 4 Issue: 1/2 Dated: 2006 Pages: 1-27
Author(s)
Augustine J. Kposowa; Glenn T. Tsunokai; James P. McElvain
Date Published
2006
Length
27 pages
Annotation
This study identified the magnitude of the homicide problem by describing long-term national trends and examined the effect of being Black on the risk of homicide, as well as whether the influence of race was diminished by controlling for measures of economic/social disadvantage.
Abstract
Generally, findings support the argument that socioeconomic disadvantage increases the risk for homicide victimization, in that low income, poor education, and unemployment has increased the risk for homicide victimization. The link between low income and homicide victimization, however, has proven to be stronger among Whites compared to Blacks. Although low educational attainment significantly increased the risk of homicide among Whites, no such significant association was observed among Blacks. Living in an inner city was a strong predictor of risk for homicide, regardless of race. This finding further supports the influence of disadvantage on risk of homicide, since urban residents are more likely to be disadvantaged. These findings suggest that strategies for reducing homicides should target factors that contribute to social and economic inequality and unemployment. Homicide in America has shown an upward trend since 1900, but with significant declines between 1940 and 1970. Rates increased sharply after 1970, reaching a peak in 1981 and then increasing again after 1989 and peaking for the second time in 1993. Since 1994, homicide rates have generally declined, with the exception of a sharp increase in 2001. Since 1994, the African-American male homicide rate has been declining, although it remains considerably higher than the rate of other race and gender groups. The homicide trend analysis used National Vital Statistics. The analysis of covariate effects used data from the U.S. National Longitudinal Mortality Study. 4 tables and 47 references