The police cleared 86.1 percent of the Texas murders in 1972 and 72.8 percent in 1981. Murders increased by 81.9 percent in urban areas and 1.7 percent in rural areas in Texas between 1972 and 1981. Black males constituted a disproportionate share of homicide victims. Homicide accounted for 2.3 percent of the deaths in Texas in 1981. Over four-fifths of the known offenders were males, and almost three-fifths of the victims knew the offenders. Just over 13 percent of the murders occurred during the commission of another crime. Seven-tenths of the murderers used a handgun or another type of firearm. Both convictions and dismissals increased between 1976 and 1981. In 1981, 54.7 percent of the cases disposed of in court resulted in a conviction on the original charge, 10.4 percent resulted in a conviction on a lesser offense, 5.4 percent were acquitted, and 29.5 percent were dismissed. Most of the report consists of tables, graphs, and maps.