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Date: April 30, 2024 Tue

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Results for violent crimes

59 results found

Author: Matas, David

Title: Bloody Harvest: Revised Report into Allegations of Organ Harvesting of Falun Gong Practitioners in China

Summary: It is alleged that Falun Gong practitioners are victims of live organ harvesting throughout China. This report presents the findings of an investigation into these allegations.

Details: Unpublished: 2007. 237p.

Source: Internet Resource

Year: 2007

Country: China

URL:

Shelf Number: 118747

Keywords:
Bias-Motivated Crimes
Hate Crimes (Burma)
Human Rights
Minority Groups
Muslims
Trafficking in Human Organs
Violent Crimes

Author: Kohli, Anil

Title: Mapping Murder: The Geography of Indian Firearm Fatalities

Summary: Rates of murder, and firearms murder in particular, vary dramatically across India's 28 states and seven union territories, as well 35 cities with over one million residents. National statistics and autopsy findings reveal the range of variation between states and cities. Murder and firearms death are declining in many regions, but much of the country still faces extreme problems. This Issue Brief identifies those areas worst affected and those most immune. Access to illegal firearms is a major element in this variation.

Details: New Delhi: India Armed Violence Assessment, 2011. 12p.

Source: Internet Resource: Issue Brief No. 2: Accessed September 21, 2011 at: http://www.india-ava.org/fileadmin/docs/pubs/IAVA-IB2-mapping-murder.pdf

Year: 2011

Country: India

URL: http://www.india-ava.org/fileadmin/docs/pubs/IAVA-IB2-mapping-murder.pdf

Shelf Number: 122803

Keywords:
Firearms and Crime
Gun Violence
Guns
Homicides (India)
Violence
Violent Crimes

Author: Ganpat, Soenita

Title: Homicide in Finland, the Netherlands and Sweden: A First Study on the European Homicide Monitor Data

Summary: In Finland and Sweden a large proportion of homicides take place between intoxicated, male acquaintances, while in the Netherlands, they take place in a criminal milieu to a greater extent. These are some results of a unique study comparing lethal violence in the three countries. – The results also show a pattern where Finland and the Netherlands show the largest differences, with Sweden most often placed in between regarding many homicide characteristics. One important exception is the homicide rate, where Sweden has the lowest homicide rate per 100,000 population and Finland has the highest, says Johanna Hagstedt, researcher at Brå. When it comes to homicide structure, there are important differences between the three countries. Generally however, the two Nordic countries are more similar to one another than they are to the Netherlands. Although all the identified homicide types exist in all three countries, homicides committed in Finland and Sweden are often characterized by acquainted men killing each other in situations where alcohol is an important factor. In the Netherlands a larger proportion of homicides are associated with a criminal milieu, resulting in slightly younger perpetrators, a higher proportion of homicides committed outdoors with firearms and a lower clearance rate. In other words, homicides in Finland and Sweden more often have expressive motives, while instrumental motives were the most common in the Netherlands. But there are also important similarities between the three countries. For example, most homicides take place during evenings or nights and weekends are more lethal than weekdays. Also, the characteristics of victims and perpetrators are alike. In all three countries the victims and perpetrators are largely characterized by being males born in the same country the crime took place in, a large proportion of these being between the ages of 25 and 64. The study is based on four years of homicide data collected in each country. The project is important because it has shown that building a homicide database on a European level is feasible.

Details: Stockholm: Brottsförebyggande rådet/The Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention, 2011. 149p.

Source: Internet Resource: Research Report 259/Finland; Research Report 2011:15/Sweden: Accessed October 6, 2011 at: http://www.bra.se/extra/measurepoint/?module_instance=4&name=2011_15_Homicide_webb.pdf&url=/dynamaster/file_archive/110927/24663534fd502e98349e56f853deb99a/2011%255f15%255fHomicide%255fwebb.pdf

Year: 2011

Country: Europe

URL: http://www.bra.se/extra/measurepoint/?module_instance=4&name=2011_15_Homicide_webb.pdf&url=/dynamaster/file_archive/110927/24663534fd502e98349e56f853deb99a/2011%255f15%255fHomicide%255fwebb.pdf

Shelf Number: 122995

Keywords:
Crime Statistics
Homicides (Finland, Sweden, Netherlands)
Violent Crimes

Author: Collier, Paul

Title: Murder by Numbers: Socio-Economic Determinants of Homicide and Civil War

Summary: Deliberate killing is a common part of the defining features of both homicide and civil war. Often, the scale of killing is also similar: most countries have homicide rates that exceed the threshold of one thousand combat-related deaths during a year that is the standard criterion for civil war. What is clearly different is the organization of killing: the perpetrators of homicide are usually individuals or small groups, whereas rebellion – the direct cause of a civil war - requires a cohesive group of at least several hundred killers. Beyond this, the motivation for the two types of killing may differ systematically, although evidently both homicide and rebellion have many different motivations, including error and irrationality. In this paper we investigate whether the socio-economic determinants of homicide and civil war are similar, and then explore potential inter-relationships between them. We compare our existing model of the risk of civil war with a new model of the homicide rate. We find that there is a ‘family resemblance’ between the two types of killing, but surprising differences. Furthermore, we turn to the inter-relationships between homicide and the risk of civil war. Specifically, we ask whether a high rate of homicide makes a country more prone to civil war, and whether a civil war makes a country more prone to homicide. Our results indicate that higher homicide rate do not increase the risk of war but that civil wars generate a legacy of increased post-conflict homicide rates.

Details: Oxford, UK: Centre for the Study of African Economies, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, 2004. 25p.

Source: Internet Resource: Centre for the Study of African Economies Working Paper Series (CSAE WPS/2004-10): Accessed November 9, 2010 at: http://www.csae.ox.ac.uk/workingpapers/pdfs/2004-10text.pdf

Year: 2004

Country: Africa

URL: http://www.csae.ox.ac.uk/workingpapers/pdfs/2004-10text.pdf

Shelf Number: 123272

Keywords:
Homicide
Socioeconomic Variables
Violent Crimes

Author: Cassell, Erin

Title: Assault-Related Injury Among Young People Aged 15-34 Years that Occurred in Public Places: Deaths and Hospital-Treated Injury

Summary: This report presents an analysis of deaths, hospital admissions and emergency department presentations extracted from the National Coroners Information System (NCIS), the Victorian Admitted Episodes Dataset (VAED) and the Victorian Emergency Minimum Dataset (EMD) respectively over the decade 2000/01 to 2009/10. Of the four major scenarios for violence against young people in public places (that covered 94% of fatal assaults), violence instigated/perpetrated by males after intimate relationship breakdowns, or less commonly, during domestic/family disputes accounted for 21% of fatalities recorded over the decade.

Details: Melbourne, Vic.: Victorian Injury Surveillance Unit, Monash University Accident Research Centre 2011. 28p.

Source: Internet Resource: Hazard (Edition, No. 73): Accessed November 10, 2011 at: http://www.monash.edu.au/miri/research/research-areas/home-sport-and-leisure-safety/visu/hazard/haz73.pdf

Year: 2011

Country: Australia

URL: http://www.monash.edu.au/miri/research/research-areas/home-sport-and-leisure-safety/visu/hazard/haz73.pdf

Shelf Number: 123303

Keywords:
Assaults
Homicides
Intimate Partner Violence
Violence (Australia)
Violent Crimes
Youth and Violence

Author: Cooper, Alexia

Title: Homicide Trends in the United States, 1980-2008: Annual Rates for 2009 and 2010

Summary: This report presents findings from data on homicides that occurred in the United States from 1980 through 2008. It also includes overall homicide rates for 2009 and 2010. The report contains a series of tables and figures that describe homicide patterns and trends. This patterns and trends release analyzes homicide trends by age, sex, and race, including homicides of children under age 5 and of persons age 65 or older. It examines the relationship between the victim and the offender, particularly in cases of intimate and family homicide. Data include homicides involving multiple victims and offenders, circumstances surrounding the death, justifiable homicides, law enforcement officers killed, homicides cleared, and homicide trends by city size and weapon use. The data are primarily from the FBI's Supplementary Homicide Reports with summary data from the annual report, Crime in the United States, for 2009 and 2010. Highlights include the following: In the last decade (since 2000) the homicide rate declined to levels last seen in the mid-1960s. Based on data from 1980 and 2008, males represented 77% of homicide victims and nearly 90% of offenders. The victimization rate for males (11.6 per 100,000) was 3 times higher than the rate for females (3.4 per 100,000). The offending rate for males (15.1 per 100,000) was almost 9 times higher than the rate for females (1.7 per 100,000). The average age of both offenders and victims increased slightly in recent years, yet remained lower than they were prior to the late 1980s.

Details: Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2011. 35p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 19, 2011 at: http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=2221

Year: 2011

Country: United States

URL: http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=2221

Shelf Number: 123370

Keywords:
Crime Statistics
Homicides (U.S.)
Violent Crimes

Author: Petrus, Theodore Stephen

Title: An Anthropological Study of Witchcraft-Related Crime in the Eastern Cape and Its Implications for Law Enforcement Policy and Practice

Summary: This research sought to investigate the phenomenon of witchcraft-related crime in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, and its implications for law enforcement policy and practice. The primary motivation for a study such as this emerged from the need to address the lack of academic knowledge about witchcraft-related crime, especially in the Eastern Cape. The study is anthropological in focus, and is thus based on anthropological techniques of data gathering. Specifically, a literature study and fieldwork (semi-structured interviews and case studies) formed the basis of the research methodology employed. The geographical focus of the study was the northeastern part of the former Transkei, an area commonly referred to as Pondoland. Interview data were obtained from two categories of informants, namely community informants and informants of the South African Police Service (SAPS). Various towns and their surrounding villages were visited during fieldwork in order to gather data through interviews. Witchcraft continues to play an integral role in the cultural interpretation of misfortune, illness and untimely or mysterious death, particularly among local Xhosa-speaking communities that are predominantly rural. Beliefs associated with witchcraft were widespread in the study area and this was linked to high frequencies of witchcraft accusations and witchcraft-related violence. Police investigations of witchcraft-related cases were, for the most part, evaluated negatively by the majority of local community informants, while the SAPS informants indicated mixed responses as to the success of their investigations of these cases. The high frequency of unreported cases suggested that witchcraft-related crime is a problem in the Eastern Cape and that the local police were struggling to deal with these cases. The traditional leadership in various communities also struggled with the problem of an ambiguity in their role regarding witchcraft cases. Traditional leaders not only had jurisdictional limitations, but also indirectly seemed to encourage witchcraft-related violence by punishing those who accused others of witchcraft. In general, the relationship between communities, traditional leaders and the police were strained by witchcraft-related cases. In addition to providing much needed data on the topic under study, this research also aimed to provide meaningful recommendations and suggestions based on the data gathered during the study. This study is by no means conclusive as there is still much scope for further research, not only anthropological research but also, more importantly, interdisciplinary research. The issue of witchcraft-related crime is one that requires a holistic approach to address and involves a number of stakeholders who should make a contribution to further study of this topic. The essential point is that, as far as the Eastern Cape Province is concerned, witchcraft-related crime must be taken seriously enough to invest in further research so that violence reaching crisis levels could be avoided.

Details: Port Elizabeth, South Africa: Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2009. 277p.

Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed November 26, 2011 at: http://www.nmmu.ac.za/documents/theses/THEODORE%20STEPHEN%20PETRUS.pdf

Year: 2009

Country: South Africa

URL: http://www.nmmu.ac.za/documents/theses/THEODORE%20STEPHEN%20PETRUS.pdf

Shelf Number: 123457

Keywords:
Cults
Religiously Motivated Violence
Violent Crimes
Witchcraft (South Africa)

Author: Takala, Jukka-Pekka

Title: Looking at violence in the Nordic Countries: statistical sources, variations, improving measurement

Summary: This report reviews and discusses violence statistics and their problems and possible improvements from various angles. The report is based on the work of the "statistical" subproject of the Nordic Project on Violence: "Violence and its reduction in the Nordic countries" (Våld och våldsreducering i Norden) financed by the Nordic Council of Ministers and carried out by the Nordic councils for crime prevention and the Scandinavian Research Council for Criminology. The Statistics Subproject was to look at three related but originally separate subprojects of the original overall plan: 1. To describe and compare violence with the help of extant statistics; 2. To chart variations in violence in the Nordic countries; 3. To develop instruments of measuring violence in intimate relations including violence in the family. With the resources available, the subproject was unable to carry out any of these tasks in a truly systematic and comprehensive manner. However, we hope that the variable material we were able to produce on all these themes can contribute to better accounting for violence and be of help when devising methods for preventing violence. The report describes levels and trends in violence. It touches on problems and solutions in their measurement. Some suggestions are tentative, others are more firmly established and the reader can turn to the research and web pages that are referred to in the reports.

Details: Copenhagen, Denmark: Nordic Council of Ministers, TemaNord, 2009. 95p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed on January 23, 2012 at http://www.norden.org/sv/publikationer/publikationer/2009-542/at_download/publicationfile

Year: 2009

Country: Denmark

URL: http://www.norden.org/sv/publikationer/publikationer/2009-542/at_download/publicationfile

Shelf Number: 123751

Keywords:
Denmark
Finland
Iceland
Norway
Sweden
Victimization Surveys
Victims of Crime
Violence
Violent Crimes

Author: Geneva Declaration

Title: Global Burden of Armed Violence 2011

Summary: Drawing on comprehensive country-level data, including both conflict-related and criminal violence, it estimates that at least 526,000 people die violently every year, more than three-quarters of them in non-conflict settings. It highlights that the 58 countries with high rates of lethal violence account for two-thirds of all violent deaths, and shows that one-quarter of all violent deaths occur in just 14 countries, seven of which are in the Americas. New research on femicide also reveals that about 66,000 women and girls are violently killed around the world each year. This volume also assesses the linkages between violent death rates and socio-economic development, demonstrating that homicide rates are higher wherever income disparity, extreme poverty, and hunger are high. It challenges the use of simple analytical classifications and policy responses, and offers researchers and policy-makers new tools for studying and tackling different forms of violence.

Details: Geneva: Geneva Declaration, 2012. 175p. (Also available from Cambridge University Press)

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 1, 2012 at: http://www.genevadeclaration.org/measurability/global-burden-of-armed-violence/global-burden-of-armed-violence-2011.html

Year: 2012

Country: International

URL: http://www.genevadeclaration.org/measurability/global-burden-of-armed-violence/global-burden-of-armed-violence-2011.html

Shelf Number: 123918

Keywords:
Armed Violence
Gun Violence
Homicides
Violence
Violent Crimes

Author: Eavis, Paul

Title: Working Against Violence: Practices in Armed Violence Reduction and Prevention

Summary: The aim of this working paper, Working Against Violence: Promising Practices in Armed Violence Reduction and Prevention, from the Geneva Declaration is to document promising practices in armed violence reduction and prevention (AVRP). Drawing from experiences across multiple sectors and organizations, it seeks to generate a better understanding of what is working and, in so doing, encourage more effective and efficient AVRP policies and programmes. The selection of promising practice examples contained in the working paper are drawn from a wide range of sources, including the findings of a series of regional ‘promising-/good-practice’ meetings that were held in Brazil, Guatemala, Kenya, Nigeria, Nepal, and Croatia throughout 2010 and 2011, as well as from academic evidence and international experience of AVRP. The paper first sets out a brief characterization of the different categories of AVRP interventions. The subsequent section provides an overview of promising practices, focusing on both direct and indirect AVRP programmes. The final section outlines a number of key recommendations for future AVRP programming.

Details: Geneva: Geneva Declaration Secretariat, 2011. 70p.

Source: Internet Resource: Working Paper: Accessed February 1, 2012 at: http://www.genevadeclaration.org/fileadmin/docs/WP-AVRP/GDWP_Working-against-violence.pdf

Year: 2011

Country: International

URL: http://www.genevadeclaration.org/fileadmin/docs/WP-AVRP/GDWP_Working-against-violence.pdf

Shelf Number: 123922

Keywords:
Armed Violence
Homicides
Violent Crimes

Author: Wood, Rebecca

Title: Youth Deaths: The Reality Behind the 'Knife Crime' Debate

Summary: The media portrayal of, and government response to, the ‘knife crime epidemic’ created a distorted image of the reality on the ground, according to new research undertaken by the Institute of Race Relations (IRR). The evidence suggests that, whilst some marginalised young people are carrying knives, the image of violently nihilist, feral, often Black or ethnic minority teen gangs armed with knives and guns is, at best, only a snapshot of the grim reality for a very small minority. At worst, this kind of imagery, replicated unchallenged and unqualified on our screens and from the dispatch box, leads to a punitive and misguided political climate which may ultimately fail the very teenagers it aims to reach. Here, the IRR publishes a summary of its key findings for 2008. It aims to provide a description of who was killed and by whom and in what circumstances – a factual description which was largely missing from much media and political evaluation at the time.

Details: London: Institute of Race Relations,2010. 18p.

Source: Internet Resource: IRR Briefing Paper No. 5: Accessed April 6, 2012 at: http://www.irr.org.uk/pdf2/IRR_Briefing_No.5.pdf

Year: 2010

Country: United Kingdom

URL: http://www.irr.org.uk/pdf2/IRR_Briefing_No.5.pdf

Shelf Number: 124887

Keywords:
Gangs
Knives and Crime (U.K.)
Violent Crimes

Author: Pradhan, Kanhu Charan

Title: Violent Crimes in Megacities

Summary: This note presents the situation of violent crimes in Indian megacities (35 megacities with more than ten lakh population in 2001) based on the information published in “Crime in India” by the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) .

Details: Munich: MPRA Munich Personal RePEc Archive, 2011. 7p.

Source: Internet Resource: MPRA Paper No. 35274: Accessed May 3, 2012 at: http://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/35274/1/MPRA_paper_35274.pdf

Year: 2011

Country: India

URL: http://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/35274/1/MPRA_paper_35274.pdf

Shelf Number: 125140

Keywords:
Cities and Crime
Crime Statistics (India)
Urban Areas and Crime
Violent Crimes

Author: United Nations Development Program - San Salvador

Title: Regional Forum for the Exchange of Experiences in the Prevention and Control of Armed Violence

Summary: Violence is a complex problem, which is influenced by many different factors, among which are firearms. Although these firearms do not generate violence, there is no doubt that they greatly contribute to their deadliness. Approximately 300,000 people die each year in the world because of firearms, according to a report from Small arms Survey (2204). Of those, more than 200,000 are the product of violence and delinquency. Latin America, with almost 48% of the total, is at the head of the distressing world ranking of homicides caused by firearms. Numbers are not very encouraging for El Salvador: To date this year, an average of 12 persons dies every day because of violence. Of those, 10 have been murdered with a firearm, according to official data. Violence and the proliferation of firearms have direct consequences on the life quality of Salvadorans and a marked impact on the economy and development of the country. They generate direct and indirect costs for everyong, discourage capital investment and have an evident impact on the economy, governance and human development. A key factor in the prevention violence, delinquency and insecurity is to promote the control of the free distribution, and the reduction of firearms use by the civilian population. The Regional Forum for the Exchange of Experiences in the Prevention and Control of Armed Violence was held in San Salvador, on August 10 and 11 with the purpose of gathering international experts and representatives from diverse organizations and institutions in one place to work on the prevention and control of firearms in Latin America. Four international specialists delivered several magisterial conferences, which are presented in part one of this publication. Part two of the publication assembles the transcriptions of the expositions that representatives of diverse organizations and institutions in Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Brazil, and El Salvador prepared regarding international, national and regional initiatives and projects related with the prevention and control of firearms.

Details: San Salvador, El Salvador: United Nations Development Programe, 2006. 105p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 21, 2012 at http://www.pnud.org.sv/2007/index2.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_view&gid=202&Itemid=56

Year: 2006

Country: Central America

URL: http://www.pnud.org.sv/2007/index2.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_view&gid=202&Itemid=56

Shelf Number: 126087

Keywords:
Armed Violence
Firearms
Homicides
Violent Crimes

Author: World Health Organization

Title: Violence Prevention: The Evidence

Summary: As noted in the World report on violence and health, violence has always been part of the human experience. Today, violence results in more than 1.5 million people being killed each year, and many more suffer non-fatal injuries and chronic, noninjury health consequences as a result of suicide attempts, interpersonal violence (youth violence, intimate partner violence, child maltreatment, elder abuse and sexual violence) and collective violence (war and other forms of armed conflict). Overall, violence is among the leading causes of death worldwide for people aged 15–44 years. “Despite the fact that violence has always been present, the world does not have to accept it as an inevitable part of the human condition. As long as there has been violence, there have also been systems – religious, philosophical, legal and communal – that have grown up to prevent or limit it. None has been completely successful, but all have made their contribution to this defining mark of civilization. Since the early 1980s, the field of public health has been a growing asset in this response. A wide range of public health practitioners, researchers and systems have set themselves the tasks of understanding the roots of violence and preventing its occurrence”. Their experience and the scientific studies they have conducted clearly demonstrate that violence can be prevented and its impact reduced, in the same way that public health efforts have prevented and reduced pregnancy-related complications, workplace injuries, infectious diseases and illness resulting from contaminated food and water in many parts of the world. The factors that contribute to violent responses – whether they are factors of attitude and behaviour or related to larger social, economic, political and cultural conditions – can be changed. Violence can be prevented. This is not an article of faith, but a statement based on evidence. Violence prevention: the evidence is a set of seven briefings based on rigorous reviews of the literature which examines scientific evidence for the effectiveness of interventions to prevent interpersonal and selfdirected violence. Each briefing focuses on a broad strategy for preventing violence, and under that umbrella reviews the evidence for the effectiveness of specific interventions. The violence prevention strategies covered in the seven briefings are: 1. Developing safe, stable and nurturing relationships between children and their parents and caregivers; 2. Developing life skills in children and adolescents; 3. Reducing the availability and harmful use of alcohol; 4. Reducing access to guns, knives and pesticides; 5. Promoting gender equality to prevent violence against women; 6. Changing cultural and social norms that support violence; 7. Victim identification, care and support programmes. This document summarizes the headline findings from each of the seven briefings and spotlights the specific interventions within each strategy that have the strongest evidence for preventing violence.

Details: Geneva, SWIT: World Health Organization, 2010. 134p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 24, 2013 at: http://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/violence/4th_milestones_meeting/evidence_briefings_all.pdf

Year: 2010

Country: International

URL: http://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/violence/4th_milestones_meeting/evidence_briefings_all.pdf

Shelf Number: 127374

Keywords:
Aggression
Domestic Violence
Interpersonal Violence
Violence (International)
Violence Prevention
Violent Crimes

Author: Idaho State Police, Statistical Analysis Center

Title: Violent Crimes Against Children in Idaho as Reported to Law Enforcement: 1998-2011

Summary: This is a report on violent crimes against children as reported to the police in Idaho from 1998 through 2011. Data comes from police agencies participating in the Idaho State Incident-Based Reporting (IIBR) program. The IIBR is a subset of the National Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS), which collects crime data from law enforcement agencies throughout the United States. Violent crimes include murder/non-negligent manslaughter, negligent manslaughter, aggravated assault, simple assault, intimidation, and sexual assaults (forcible rape and sodomy, forcible fondling, and sexual assault with an object). Trends -- The rates of violent crime against both children and adults are down nationally and in Idaho. In Idaho, violent crimes against children decreased at a greater rate than violent crimes against adults from 1998 to 2011 (-43% versus -27%). Aggravated assaults of children and abductions of children decreased the most since 1998 (-56% and -61% respectively).

Details: Meridian, ID: Idaho State Police, 2012. 19p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 29, 2013 at: http://www.jrsa.org/ibrrc/background-status/Idaho/ID_JuvenileVictims.pdf

Year: 2012

Country: United States

URL: http://www.jrsa.org/ibrrc/background-status/Idaho/ID_JuvenileVictims.pdf

Shelf Number: 127425

Keywords:
Child Abuse (Idaho)
Child Maltreatment
Child Sexual Abuse
Crime Against Children
Family Violence
Violent Crimes

Author: Hinton, Rachael

Title: Armed Violence Monitoring Systems

Summary: There is increasing global awareness that accurate and reliable data on the scope, scale, and causes of all forms of armed violence is vital for shaping policy, developing programmatic responses, and monitoring progress. Armed violence is strongly associated with negative development outcomes and slow progress towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (Geneva Declaration Secretariat, 2011, p. 145).1 Over the past few years the realization that the development and security of a wide range of countries, cities, and citizens were threatened by armed violence led to a global agenda for the prevention and reduction of such violence (OECD, 2011, p. 11). This agenda identified a number of entry points and resulted in the engagement of an increasingly diverse spectrum of actors and players, including, for example, in the areas of conflict prevention, peacebuilding, crime prevention, and public health. In the context of their own agendas, various stakeholders acknowledge the importance of applying evidence-based policy-making through the improved measurement and monitoring of armed violence. Some have established mechanisms and tools for monitoring and research, such as observatories (on crime and violence) or armed violence monitoring systems (AVMSs) to better understand the extent and distribution of armed violence in a variety of geographic settings in low-, middle-, and high-income countries (Gilgen and Tracey, 2011).

Details: Geneva, SWIT: Small Arms Survey, 2013. 4 p.

Source: Internet Resource: Small Arms Survey Research Notes • Number 27: Accessed April 5, 2013 at: http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/H-Research_Notes/SAS-Research-Note-27.pdf

Year: 2013

Country: International

URL: http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/H-Research_Notes/SAS-Research-Note-27.pdf

Shelf Number: 128283

Keywords:
Armed Violence
Gun Control
Gun Violence
Guns
Violent Crimes

Author: Kunst, Maarten

Title: The Burden of Interpersonal Violence: Examining the psychosocial aftermath of victimisation

Summary: The burden of violent victimisation has received much attention in scientific literature. Most previous studies seem to have focussed on adverse psychological or medical consequences of victimisation (e.g., Denkers, 1996). A few others have attempted to uncover its negative socioeconomic impact (e.g., Dolan, Loomes, Peasgood, & Tsuchiya, 2005). And finally, several studies have considered the positive side of violence (e.g., Cobb, Tedeschi, Calhoun, & Cann, 2006). Despite the abundance of available studies on the aftermath of violent victimisation, many issues still remain to be uncovered. Relying on a sample of victims of violence who had claimed compensation from the Dutch Victim Compensation Fund (DVCF), the purpose of this PhD project was to further unravel the psychosocial aftermath of violent victimisation in this specific subgroup of interpersonal violence. A number of studies have investigated mental health outcomes of violence in victims with a history of application for compensation from the state. These studies primarily focussed on victims of mass casualties, such terrorist bombings (e.g., Verger et al., 2004). However, on the other hand, victims of individual casualties, such as civilian violence, seem to have been neglected in previous research.

Details: Tilburg, German: University of Tilburg, 2010. 224p.

Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed April 6, 2013 at: http://arno.uvt.nl/show.cgi?fid=105988

Year: 2010

Country: Netherlands

URL: http://arno.uvt.nl/show.cgi?fid=105988

Shelf Number: 128307

Keywords:
Family Violence
Interpersonal Violence (Netherlands)
Intimate Partner Violence
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Victims of Crime
Victims of Violent Crimes
Violent Crimes

Author: Harrell, Erika

Title: Workplace Violence Against Government Employees, 1994-2011

Summary: This report presents information on both nonfatal and fatal forms of violence in the workplace against government employees, based on the Bureau of Justice Statistics' National Crime Victimization Survey and the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries. This report describes violence against government employees and compares violence in the workplace against government and private-sector employees. It includes information on type of workplace violence, violence by occupation, and victim and crime characteristics, such as sex and race distribution, offender weapon use, police notification, and victim injury. Highlights: In 2011, about 1 in 5 victims of workplace homicide was a government employee. From 2002 to 2011, the annual average rate of simple assault in the workplace against government employees (18.9 per 1,000) was more than three times that of private-sector employees (4.6 per 1,000). Serious violent crime accounted for a larger percentage of workplace violence against private-sector employees (25%) than government employees (15%). From 2002 to 2011, about 96% of workplace violence against government employees was against state, county, and local employees, who made up 81% of the total government workforce. Male government employees were more likely than female government employees to face a stranger in an incident of workplace violence from 2002 to 2011. From 2002 to 2011, female government employees were more likely than male government employees to be attacked in the workplace by someone with whom they had a work relationship.

Details: Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2013. 19p.

Source: Internet Resource: Special Report: Accessed April 16, 2013 at: http://bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/wvage9411.pdf

Year: 2013

Country: United States

URL: http://bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/wvage9411.pdf

Shelf Number: 128364

Keywords:
Government Employees
National Crime Victimization Survey
Victims of Violence
Violent Crimes
Workplace Crime (U.S.)

Author: Brankovic, Jasmina

Title: Leaving the Gangster Things to the Boys Growing Up Now: Young Men, Physical Violence, and Structural Violence in Post-Transition South Africa

Summary: This paper examines the intersection of physical violence, structural violence, and masculinity through the life history narrative of a 20-year-old man exiting an informal gang in Gugulethu, a township in Cape Town. Beginning and remaining with James Madoda’s narrative, the paper shows how the gendered physical violence between young men in townships emerges from historical and present-day structural violence - here defined as institutionalised power inequalities that limit life opportunities - and argues that structural violence needs to be discussed and addressed as a policy issue in South Africa. It also suggests that structural violence may provide a platform for collaboration among civil society actors working on socioeconomic transformation and the prevention of violence.

Details: Cape Town: Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation and Centre for Humanities Research, University of the Western Cape, 2012.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 18, 2013 at: Cape Town: Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation and Centre for Humanities Research, University of the Western Cape

Year: 2012

Country: South Africa

URL:

Shelf Number: 128411

Keywords:
Gang Violence
Gangs
Gender-Based Violence (South Africa
Violent Crimes

Author: Nobis, Elizabeth

Title: Improving the Epidemiology of Alcohol-Related Violence in the City of Philadelphia Using Geospatial Analysis

Summary: In the United States, alcohol related violence is a major public health problem. There is a significant amount of evidence suggesting that the density of alcohol outlets and the level of social disorganization in a neighborhood are related to levels of violent assault. Less is known about the spatial distribution of assaults surrounding these alcohol outlets including the neighborhood characteristic of vacant lots. Better understanding these spatial linkages will contribute to improvements in the public health efforts to suppress violence and morbidity. Objective: This project aims to determine whether the density of alcohol outlets in Philadelphia is associated with neighborhood levels of violence and whether this relationship is influenced by the density of vacant lots. It was then investigated how violence geographical clusters around these spaces. Methods: This study utilized police-recorded data of aggravated assaults in Philadelphia, alcohol outlet addresses in Philadelphia, and 2010 Census Bureau block group information. Descriptive statistics, regression, spatial clustering, and qualitative mapping analysis were used to identify the distribution and relationships of assaults in the city. Results: Areas with higher percentages of vacant housing in combination with high density of alcohol outlets have a positive relationship with increased levels of aggravated assaults. This effect is most evident in economically disadvantaged areas. Conclusion: There is significant evidence that aggravated assaults are spatially linked to alcohol outlets and vacant lots. Development of alcohol policy, as well as improving neighborhood environments in low-income areas will reduce alcohol-related violence and improve the safety of Philadelphia’s general public.

Details: Philadelphia: Drexel University, School of Public Health, 2012. 59p.

Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed April 25, 2013 at: http://idea.library.drexel.edu/handle/1860/3946

Year: 2012

Country: United States

URL: http://idea.library.drexel.edu/handle/1860/3946

Shelf Number: 128500

Keywords:
Aggravated Assaults
Alcohol-Related Crime, Disorder (Philadelphia, U.S
Geographical Information Systems (GIS)
Geospatial Analysis
Violence
Violent Crimes

Author: DiPoala, Audrey

Title: An Exploration of Gun Violence and Prevention: Toward the Development of an Inclusive Database Working Paper 2 of 3: Databases as Prevention

Summary: This paper is the second in a series of three addressing the need for developing a shooting database in Rochester. The benefit from crime analysis has been seen in recent years as smart policing has come to the forefront. This paper addresses the role that databases play in crime prevention and then moves toward a focus on the need for a shooting database and what role that would play in law enforcement. In addition to providing examples of crime databases, this paper will also highlight the variables necessary to include in a database specific to shooting victims.

Details: Rochester, NY: Center for Public Safety Initiatives Rochester Institute of Technology, 2013. 17p.

Source: Internet Resource: Working Paper # 2013-2: Accessed May 4, 2013 at: http://www.rit.edu/cla/cpsi/WorkingPapers/2013/2013-03.pdf

Year: 2013

Country: United States

URL: http://www.rit.edu/cla/cpsi/WorkingPapers/2013/2013-03.pdf

Shelf Number: 128662

Keywords:
Crime Analysis
Crime Prevention
Gun Violence (U.S.)
Violent Crimes

Author:

Title: Peña Nieto’s Challenge: Criminal Cartels and Rule of Law in Mexico

Summary: After years of intense, cartel-related bloodshed that has claimed tens of thousands of lives and shaken Mexico, new President Enrique Peña Nieto is promising to reduce the murder rate. The security plan he introduced with the backing of the three biggest parties gives Mexico a window of opportunity to build institutions that can produce long-term peace and cut impunity rates. But he faces many challenges. The cartels have thousands of gunmen and have morphed into diversified crime groups that not only traffic drugs, but also conduct mass kidnappings, oversee extortion rackets and steal from the state oil industry. The military still fights them in much of the country on controversial missions too often ending in shooting rather than prosecutions. If Peña Nieto does not build an effective police and justice system, the violence may continue or worsen. But major institutional improvements and more efficient, comprehensive social programs could mean real hope for sustainable peace and justice. The development of cartels into murder squads fighting to control territory with military-grade weapons challenges the Mexican state’s monopoly on the use of force in some regions. The brutality of their crimes undermines civilian trust in the government’s capacity to protect them, and the corruption of drug money damages belief in key institutions. Cartels challenge the fundamental nature of the state, therefore, not by threatening to capture it, but by damaging and weakening it. The military fight-back has at times only further eroded the trust in government by inflicting serious human rights abuses. Some frustrated communities have formed armed “selfdefence” groups against the cartels. Whatever the intent, these also degrade the rule of law. There has been fierce discussion about how to legally define the fighting. The violence has been described as a low-intensity armed conflict, a kind of war, because of the number of deaths and type of weapons used. The criminal groups have been described as everything from gangs, drug cartels and transnational criminal organisations, to paramilitaries and terrorists. The Mexican government, much of the international community and many analysts reject the idea there is anything other than a serious criminal threat, even though those criminal groups use military and, at times, vicious terror tactics. The army and marines, too, thrown into the breach with limited police training and without efficient policing methods, have often used intense and lethal force to fight the groups, killing more than 2,300 alleged criminals in a five-year period. Within the grey world of fighting between rival cartels and security forces, there is much confusion as to who the victims of the violence are, and who killed them or made them disappear. Estimates of the total who have died in connection with the fighting over the last six years range from 47,000 to more than 70,000, in addition to thousands of disappearances. Cartel gunmen often dress in military uniforms and include corrupt police in their ranks, so people are unsure if they are facing criminals or troops. A victims movement is demanding justice and security. Mexico has also lost hundreds of police and army officers, mayors, political candidates, judges, journalists and human rights defenders to the bloodshed that is taking a toll on its democratic institutions.

Details: Brussels, Belgium: International Crisis Group, 2013. 52p.

Source: Internet Resource: Latin America Report No. 48: Accessed May 13, 2013 at: http://www.crisisgroup.org/~/media/Files/latin-america/mexico/048-pena-nietos-challenge-criminal-cartels-and-rule-of-law-in-mexico.pdf

Year: 2013

Country: Mexico

URL: http://www.crisisgroup.org/~/media/Files/latin-america/mexico/048-pena-nietos-challenge-criminal-cartels-and-rule-of-law-in-mexico.pdf

Shelf Number: 128724

Keywords:
Drug - Related Violence (Mexico)
Drug Cartels
Drug Trafficking
Homicides
Kidnappings
Organized Crime
Violent Crimes

Author: Pew Research Center

Title: Gun Homicide Rate Down 49% Since 1993 Peak; Public Unaware Pace of Decline Slows in Past Decade

Summary: National rates of gun homicide and other violent gun crimes are strikingly lower now than during their peak in the mid-1990s, paralleling a general decline in violent crime, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of government data. Beneath the long-term trend, though, are big differences by decade: Violence plunged through the 1990s, but has declined less dramatically since 2000. Compared with 1993, the peak of U.S. gun homicides, the firearm homicide rate was 49% lower in 2010, and there were fewer deaths, even though the nation’s population grew. The victimization rate for other violent crimes with a firearm—assaults, robberies and sex crimes—was 75% lower in 2011 than in 1993. Violent non-fatal crime victimization overall (with or without a firearm) also is down markedly (72%) over two decades. Nearly all the decline in the firearm homicide rate took place in the 1990s; the downward trend stopped in 2001 and resumed slowly in 2007. The victimization rate for other gun crimes plunged in the 1990s, then declined more slowly from 2000 to 2008. The rate appears to be higher in 2011 compared with 2008, but the increase is not statistically significant. Violent non-fatal crime victimization overall also dropped in the 1990s before declining more slowly from 2000 to 2010, then ticked up in 2011. Despite national attention to the issue of firearm violence, most Americans are unaware that gun crime is lower today than it was two decades ago. According to a new Pew Research Center survey, today 56% of Americans believe gun crime is higher than 20 years ago and only 12% think it is lower.

Details: Washington, DC: Pew Research Center, 2013. 63p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 25, 2013 at: http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/files/2013/05/firearms_final_05-2013.pdf

Year: 2013

Country: United States

URL: http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/files/2013/05/firearms_final_05-2013.pdf

Shelf Number: 128824

Keywords:
Crime Rates
Gun Violence (U.S.)
Homicides
Victimization Rates
Violent Crimes

Author: Robles, Gustavo

Title: The Economic Consequences of Drug Trafficking Violence in Mexico

Summary: The levels of violence in Mexico have dramatically increased in the last few years due to structural changes in the drug trafficking business. The increase in the number of drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) fighting over the control of territory and trafficking routes has resulted in a substantial increase in the rates of homicides and other crimes. This study evaluates the economic costs of drug-‐related violence. We propose electricity consumption as an indicator of the level of municipal economic activity and use two different empirical strategies to test this. We utilize an instrumental variable regression using as exogenous variation the instrument proposed by Castillo, Mejía, and Restrepo (2013) based on historical seizures of cocaine in Colombia interacted with the distance of the Mexican border towns to the United States. We find that marginal increases of violence have negative effects on labor participation and the proportion of unemployed in an area. The marginal effect of the increase in homicides is substantive for earned income and the proportion of business owners, but not for energy consumption. We also employ the methodology of synthetic controls to evaluate the effect that inter-‐narco wars have on local economies. These wars in general begin with a wave of executions between rival criminal organizations and are accompanied by the deterioration of order and a significant increase in extortion, kidnappings, robberies, murders, and threats affecting the general population. To evaluate the effect that these wars between different drug trafficking organizations have on economic performance, we define the beginning of a conflict as the moment when we observe an increase from historical violence rates at the municipal level beyond a certain threshold, and construct counterfactual scenarios as an optimal weighted average from potential control units. The analysis indicates that the drug wars in those municipalities that saw dramatic increases in violence between 2006 and 2010 significantly reduced their energy consumption in the years after the change occurred.

Details: Stanford, CA: Stanford University, 2013. 38p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 28, 2013 at: http://iis-db.stanford.edu/pubs/24014/RoblesCalderonMagaloni_EconCosts5.pdf

Year: 2013

Country: United States

URL: http://iis-db.stanford.edu/pubs/24014/RoblesCalderonMagaloni_EconCosts5.pdf

Shelf Number: 128839

Keywords:
Drug Abuse and Crime (Mexico, U.S.)
Drug Trafficking
Drug-Related Violence
Economics of Crime
Homicides
Kidnappings
Organized Crime
Violent Crimes

Author: Lenis, David

Title: The Effect of the Argentine Gun Buy-Back Program on Crime and Violence

Summary: The effect of policies and regulations affecting the availability of guns in the population is an unsettled and controversial issue. In this paper, we contribute to this debate by analyzing the effect of PEVAF, a large national gun buy-back program implemented in Argentina, on crime and violence. The empirical evidence suggests that the program has been successful in reducing the number of deaths from firearm accidents, but has not achieved a reduction in suicides, homicides and car theft.

Details: Unpublished paper, 2010. 30p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 1, 2013 at: http://socrates.berkeley.edu/~raphael/IGERT/Workshop/PEVAF_September_27_2010.pdf

Year: 2010

Country: Argentina

URL: http://socrates.berkeley.edu/~raphael/IGERT/Workshop/PEVAF_September_27_2010.pdf

Shelf Number: 128902

Keywords:
Gun Control Programs
Gun Violence (Argentina)
Gun-Buy Back Programs
Homicides
Violence Prevention
Violent Crimes

Author: Hipple, Natalie Kroovand

Title: Project Safe Neighborhoods Case Study Report: Middle District of North Carolina (Case Study 11)

Summary: In 2001 the Bush Administration made the reduction of gun crime one of the two major priorities of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), along with defeating terrorism and enhancing homeland security. The vehicle for translating this goal into action is Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). PSN represents a commitment to gun crime reduction through a network of local partnerships coordinated through the nation's 94 United States Attorney's Offices. These local partnerships are supported by a strategy to provide them with the resources that they need to be successful. These site-specific case studies are intended to provide information about how PSN has been structured and implemented in different jurisdictions. PSN is a national program tailored to address varying gun crime pattems in localjurisdictions. One of the key roles of the research partner is to analyze these patterns to help inform the PSN task force. The local nature of PSN, however, makes it important to examine implementation and impact at the local level. Consequently, this series of site-specific cases studies addresses these issues.

Details: East Lansing, MI: School of Criminal Justice, Michigan State University, 2007. 49p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 1, 2013 at: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/241729.pdf

Year: 2007

Country: United States

URL: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/241729.pdf

Shelf Number: 128917

Keywords:
Gang Violence
Gun Violence
Project Safe Neighborhoods (North Carolina, U.S.)
Violence Prevention
Violent Crimes

Author: Sida

Title: Maras and Youth Gangs, Community and Police in Central America

Summary: The presence of criminal youth gangs – called pandillas in Spanish – has long since become an almost permanent feature of everyday life in Central America even if their number, geographical distribution and exact character have varied over the time and from country to country. However, during the last decade a qualitatively different kind of criminal youth gang has developed and firmly established themselves in three countries of the region – El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala. This new type of gang – called maras – has rapidly become a major concern for the governments of these countries and a source of deep fear among the population living on the outskirts of cities and in poorer urban districts. The maras consist of groups of youths aged 8 to 35 who aim to control whole neighbourhoods or territories, making membership of the mara their lifestyle and identity, and crime their way of life. There are many different branches of maras, although the two most feared and well-known are the Mara 18 and the Mara Salvatrucha, both originating in the city of Los Angeles, USA. Estimates of the number of mara members in Central America vary widely, but the figure is likely to be in the range of 70,000 to 100,000, with the highest number present in Honduras, followed by El Salvador and then Guatemala. Maras constitute an urban sub-culture of a special kind, giving their members not only a sense of belonging but also of protection, pride and power. Their identity is reinforced by special rites, by a terminology of their own and self-invented symbols, such as their numerous and very visible tattoos. Solidarity with the mara is of supreme value, and to betray the group may be punishable by death. Mara members do not dedicate themselves to crime exclusively – they also participate in the normal labour market and share many leisure time interests with other young people. However, their criminal activities are frequent and include extortion, armed robbery, assault and kidnapping, as well as – increasingly, it seems – retailing drugs on the street. Murder is commonplace and may also be committed as a reference for power and controlling group behaviour. They have also been linked to lucrative border-crossing arrangements (from Guatemala to Mexico), trafficking in human beings as well as in arms, and it also appears that they are used as professional “torpedoes” and killers by groups of organized crime. Their main fight is against rival gangs for control of territory, which is generally identified by graffiti. In this fight, anyone – of any age – who has a friend or family member belonging to a rival gang may be “marked” (raped, or severely hurt) or even killed – in order to humiliate the enemy and convey a message to them. In the three Central American countries which are most affected, a considerable number of municipalities and/or city blocks are effectively under the control of different maras.

Details: Stockholm, Sweden: Sida, 2008. 36p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 21, 2013 at: http://www.sida.se/Global/About%20Sida/Nyhetsarkiv/Nyhetsarkiv%202009/Dokument/Maras_and_Youth_Gangs,_Community_and_Police_in_Central_America%5B1%5D.pdf

Year: 2008

Country: Central America

URL: http://www.sida.se/Global/About%20Sida/Nyhetsarkiv/Nyhetsarkiv%202009/Dokument/Maras_and_Youth_Gangs,_Community_and_Police_in_Central_America%5B1%5D.pdf

Shelf Number: 129119

Keywords:
Gang Violence
Maras
Pandillas
Violent Crimes
Youth Gangs (Central America)

Author: Cardia, Nancy

Title: Exposure to Violence: What impact this has on attitudes to violence and on social capital

Summary: The speed of the process of urbanization is one of the causes of the poor quality of urban life in general and this in turn relates to the growth of violence, in particular of violent crime throughout Brazil._In 1940 about a third of Brazilians lived in urban areas (12 million people) and by 1991 that number had increased to 70 percent of the population (123 million people). The speed of the process of urbanization is one of the causes of the poor quality of urban life in general and this in turn relates to the growth of violence, in particular of violent crime throughout Brazil. Lack of political power and of political efficacy by the majority of the population is also the cause of poor urban environments and violence.

Details: Sao Paula, Brazil: Center for the Study of Violence University of São Paulo, 2007. 42p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 28, 2013 at:

Year: 2007

Country: Brazil

URL:

Shelf Number: 129197

Keywords:
Homicides
Social Capital
Urban Areas
Violence (Brazil)
Violent Crimes

Author: Montoute, Annita

Title: A Situational Analysis of Gun Related Crime in the Caribbean: The Case of Trinidad & Tobago; Antigua & Barbuda; St Vincent & the Grenadines and St. Lucia

Summary: Crime rates vary across the Caribbean, they vary over time and across nations (Bennett and Lynch 2007: 49). A United Nations Report provides a list of causes of crime in the Caribbean region, including, poverty, unemployment, social marginalization and inequality, the illegal drug trade, corruption, the trafficking of firearms, the deportation of criminals, and the ineffectiveness of the existing criminal justice systems and consequent waiving of sanctions (Harriot 2002:8). Small Island economies in the Commonwealth Caribbean find themselves between a rock and a hard place in their quest for developed country status as crime rates continue to increase. The attention being paid to the relationship between the two factors is not new considering that for the past two decades; scholars in the region have been intrigued by the relationship between societal development and crime (Deosaran 2007). onsistent findings in traditional analyses of police recorded crime rates support the correlation between high crime rates and large urbanized areas. Similarly, studies in Europe confirm the modernist oriented urban-rural divide in crime analysis (Deosaran, 2007)6. According to Mahabir (1985), the modernization perspective at least explains earlier patterns of crime in the region; arguably because crime is partly the result of disintegrated traditional social control mechanism. Intrinsic in this relationship is the concentration of crime and gun related violence in the major cities (hot areas) in all four cases under study. In Trinidad and Tobago, the majority of gun related violence occurred in the Port of Spain district and Western district. Other urbanized cities such as San Fernando and Arima, have witnessed high rates of gun related violence. In Antigua and Barbuda, the concentration of gun related violence is in its capital city St. Johns; in St Vincent and the Grenadines, in the sub urban areas of Kingstown and in St. Lucia, predominantly in the Castries area. Another area of importance in understanding crime is the demographics of crime offenders. It is believed that the majority of offenders as well as victims in all countries are males aged between 15 and 30 years (Adler, Mueller, & Laufer, 1998), to the extent that theft, burglaries and assaults are considered youth-related phenomena. Also, since young people tend to enjoy “nights out” in town more than adults, that makes them more vulnerable to crime than adults. LaFree and Tseloni (2006) cited in Jan Van Dijk (2008) confirm the hypothesis that there is a correlation between relatively high proportions of young males and the incidence of crime. Contemporary research in the region also supports the theory associating young men of low-incomes, low literacy rates and the incidence of violence (Samms-Vaughan 2000). The Caribbean is especially vulnerable to crime for several reasons. It is situated between the world’s supplier of cocaine - the Andean region of South America and its primary consumer markets - the United States and Europe (UNODC and the World Bank 2007). There is general consensus that drugs and arms trafficking are inextricably linked (Harriot 2002; Griffith 2003). It is reported that illegal arms are used to protect the transhipment of illegal drugs as they move from major drug producing countries in South America to the consumer countries in the North. In a large number of cases, a positive correlation is seen between the illegal narcotics trade and the illegal trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons.

Details: Trinidad and Tobago: Caribbean Coalition for Development and the Reduction of Armed Violence, 2009. 104p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 1, 2013 at: www.cdrav.org/upload/Gun_crime_paper_annita09.pdf

Year: 2009

Country: Central America

URL:

Shelf Number: 129219

Keywords:
Crime Rates
Gun Trafficking
Gun-Related Violence (Caribbean)
Homicides
Socioeconomic Conditions and Crime
Violent Crimes

Author: Cardia, Nancy

Title: Urban Violence in São Paulo

Summary: Today homicide is the highest cause of death of young people in Brazil. Nancy Cardia, senior researcher at the University of São Paulo’s Center for the Study of Violence, examines urban violence in São Paulo arguing that violence has become a major public health problem. As in other countries, violence in Brazil is not homogeneously distributed throughout society. Violence is concentrated in certain cities and in specific areas of the cities. It victimizes young males living in the poorest areas of cities (the deprived areas at the peripheries of the cities which were opened up and made habitable by the people themselves) where the public services that now exist arrived precariously after people had settled the area. Cardia argues that the growth of violence is also being indirectly encouraged by federal, state and municipal government budget cuts resulting in less resources to invest in law enforcement and in a modicum of social safety networks: health, education, public services, and violence prevention programs. Cardia focuses on violence that is concentrated in the periphery of the Municipality of São Paulo, spilling over the borders to neighboring municipalities of the Metro area. Through an examination of the literature on the impact of violence on individuals and communities and a series of surveys taken in 1999, Cardia investigates why such deprived areas are the loci of this violence and how under stressful circumstances, these conditions can facilitate violence.

Details: Washington, DC: Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, 2000. 32p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 1, 2013 at: http://www.nevusp.org/downloads/down073.pdf

Year: 2000

Country: Brazil

URL: http://www.nevusp.org/downloads/down073.pdf

Shelf Number: 129220

Keywords:
Homicides
Socioeconomic Conditions and Crime
Urban Areas
Violence (Sao Paulo, Brazil)
Violent Crimes

Author: Ugarte, Rachel Meyn

Title: Perception of Violence and Development in Guatemala

Summary: More than 87% of Guatemala’s population fears becoming a victim of a violent act, found through Latinobarometro’s public opinion surveys in 2008. When such an overwhelming number of individuals fear their well-being, what implications does this have on their levels of confidence in the Guatemala governmental system to develop? This paper investigates whether there is a correlation between perceptions of violence and levels of confidence in the government, controlling for demographic variables such as: socioeconomic status, gender, age and education. It is found through bivariate analysis and probit regression models that socioeconomic status and age do play a part in how individuals perceive violence. Further research needs to be conducted regarding the correlation between perceptions of violence and levels of confidence in the government to develop the country, since in this study, there was no statistical significance between the two. This study does provide a first step for policy makers to target both lower socioeconomic groups and younger populations, who are most vulnerable to violence, based on these research findings.

Details: Washington, DC: American University, 2012. 16p.

Source: Internet Resource: accessed July 1, 2013 at: eagle1.american.edu/~rm1021a/rp.docx

Year: 2012

Country: Guatemala

URL:

Shelf Number: 129223

Keywords:
Socioeconomic Conditions and Crime
Socioeconomic Status
Violence (Guatemala)
Violent Crimes

Author: Jakubowski, Jonathan Robert

Title: Do Criminal Deportations Affect Homicide Rates in Central America?

Summary: Over the last decade Central America has received the highest number of criminal deportations of any region in the world. At the same time Central America has become one of the most violent regions in the world, with several nations citing homicide rates that are among the world's highest. Governments in Central America have begun to identify the deportation policy as problematic, and recent descriptive studies across the hemisphere have begun to investigate the relationship between deportations and violence. However, at present very little has been done to measure the relationship empirically.; Using data from multiple sources, this study tests the hypothesis that criminal deportations have a positive effect on homicide rates in Central America. The analysis uses multiple regression analysis to measure the effect of criminal deportations on homicide rates. Several other demographic and national characteristics are also included in the model.; Through the use of empirical research, the evidence of this study suggests that increasing amounts of criminal deportations do indeed increase homicide rates, supporting the claims made in the current body of descriptive research. The results of the model show consistent measures of significance for three independent variables in the general model: criminal deportations, primary education rates, and political stability. These findings suggest that multiple factors play a role in the rising homicide rates across Central America.; As the U.S. Government actively pursues peace and stability in the region, it is in the interests of U.S. policymakers to reverse this dangerous trend. However, unilateral policy changes in and of themselves are not sufficient to curb the rising homicide rates of Central America. A successful policy response will be both multilateral and comprehensive, taking all of the determining factors into account. Criminal deportations, as the focal point of this study seem to play a contributing role in the upward trend of this phenomenon. In response to this issue, both the sending and receiving deportation policies in Central America and the United States should be reviewed and revised.

Details: Washington, DC: Georgetown University, 2010. 32p.

Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed July 3, 2013 at: http://repository.library.georgetown.edu/handle/10822/553786

Year: 2010

Country: Central America

URL: http://repository.library.georgetown.edu/handle/10822/553786

Shelf Number: 129238

Keywords:
Criminal Deportations (Central America)
Homicides
Violent Crimes

Author: Lehti, Martti

Title: NRILP Comparative Homicide Time Series (NRILP-CHTS)

Summary: Homicide research has been a long-standing research focus in Finnish criminology and also in the research programme of the National Research Institute of Legal Policy (Lappi-Seppala 2001). This traditional emphasis refl ects the fact that Finnish homicide rates have been for a long time higher than homicide rates in other Nordic countries (Savolainen et al. 2008; Kivivuori & Lehti 2011; Kivivuori et al. 2012). Homicide scholarship inspired by the comparatively high Finnish homicide rates also contributed to early international comparative data building. Refl ecting this research programme, the NRILP created the Finnish Homicide Monitor (Lehti & Kivivuori 2012) in 2002 and has subsequently participated in ongoing efforts to create a European Homicide Monitor (Granath et al. 2011; Liem et al. 2013). The NRILP Comparative Homicide Time Series (NRILP-CHTS) continues these research emphases. Its goal is to serve as an additional research asset for international homicide research. The CHTS dataset incorporates data on homicide levels and trends drawn from publicly available national and international sources. Currently it includes information on annual homicide rates and numbers of 193 independent countries, 40 self-governing regions, and 17 historical administrative entities. Annual numbers of homicide victims by gender are available for 124 independent countries, 33 self-governing regions, and 12 historical administrative entities; annual homicide mortality rates by gender for 103 independent countries, 13 self-governing regions, and 6 historical administrative entities. For each country, the longest possible time series duration has been incorporated. The dataset is updated annually.

Details: Helsinki: National Research Institute of Legal Policy, 2013. 12p.

Source: Internet Resource: Research Brief 32/2013: Accessed November 6, 2013 at: http://www.optula.om.fi/Satellite?blobtable=MungoBlobs&blobcol=urldata&SSURIapptype=BlobServer&SSURIcontainer=Default&SSURIsession=false&blobkey=id&blobheadervalue1=inline;%20filename=kansainv%C3%A4linen%20henkirikollisuus%2032%20eng.pdf&SSURIsscontext=Satellite%20Server&blobwhere=1382644107526&blobheadername1=Content-Disposition&ssbinary=true&blobheader=application/pdf

Year: 2013

Country: International

URL: http://www.optula.om.fi/Satellite?blobtable=MungoBlobs&blobcol=urldata&SSURIapptype=BlobServer&SSURIcontainer=Default&SSURIsession=false&blobkey=id&blobheadervalue1=inline;%20filename=kansainv%C3%A4linen%20henkirikollisuus%20

Shelf Number: 131585

Keywords:
Crime Statistics
Homicide
Violent Crimes

Author: Carter, David C.

Title: Homicide Process Mapping: Best Practices for Increasing Homicide Clearances

Summary: Since 1990, the number of homicides committed in the United States has dropped over 30 percent. While this is a positive trend, it is somewhat counter-balanced by another trend: in the mid-1970s, the average homicide clearance rate in the United States was around 80 percent. Today, that number has dropped to 65 percent - hence, more offenders are literally getting away with murder. The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), a component of the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Justice Programs (OJP), recognizes that the problem of violence in the United States requires a multifaceted approach. In a coordinated initiative of projects, BJA has examined the manner in which trends in violence are identified by law enforcement for tactical purposes, reviewed how cutting-edge analysis and the integration of resources can disrupt trends in violent crime, and examined two decades of violence-reduction initiatives to determine what works. Based on lessons learned, new initiatives are explored, such as the Law Enforcement Forecasting Group (LEFG), which produced a paper on the importance of the analytic process for crime control (tactically) and resource allocation for crime reduction (strategically). Collectively, the lessons from these initiatives - and other initiatives by BJA and companion OJP components - provide guidance on new avenues to explore. Based on the findings from these projects, one of the focal points in violence suppression initiatives that BJA explored was the most efficacious method to manage homicide investigations. Two paths were used toward this end. The current project on Homicide Process Mapping focused on investigative practices. A companion project by the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), 10 Things Law Enforcement Executives Can Do to Positively Impact Homicide Investigation Outcomes, focused on the administrative environment in support of homicide investigations. Both are essential for successful investigations. The purpose of this project was to identify best practices in homicide investigations that will result in an increase in homicide clearance rates. To accomplish this goal, seven geographically representative law enforcement agencies were identified that had at least 24 homicides in 2011 and had a clearance rate of 80 percent or higher. In addition, because the first 48 hours of a homicide investigation are critical, the project identified critical tasks in the first 48 hours of the investigation that increase the probability of a clearance. The selected agencies, both municipal and county, were the Baltimore County, Maryland, Police Department; the Denver, Colorado, Police Department; the Houston, Texas, Police Department; the Jacksonville, Florida, Sheriff's Office; the Richmond, Virginia, Police Department; the Sacramento County, California, Sheriff's Department; and the San Diego, California, Police Department. Each site was visited by two experienced homicide investigators and a police researcher who conducted interviews and reviewed documents. Interviews were conducted with the homicide commander, homicide supervisors, homicide investigators, and other personnel who each department believed were important in aiding successful homicide investigations. Following the collection of all information, the findings were broken down into strategic and tactical issues. Each of these is discussed in this report from a policy implementation perspective. This is followed by a summary of homicide investigation best practices that at least two agencies reported using. The report concludes with a process map that identifies critical investigative tasks to be performed in the first 48 hours after a homicide is reported. The process map is the product of a detailed analysis and integration of the processes used by the agencies in this project. While many factors contributed to successful homicide investigations, including some creative practices, there was one overarching factor: all of the agencies visited had laid a strong foundation of trust with the community and a strong foundation of cooperation and information sharing with other law enforcement agencies. Without this foundation, success will be limited.

Details: Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assi3tance, 2013. 67p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 11, 2013 at: http://www.iir.com/Documents/Homicide_Process_Mapping_September_email.pdf

Year: 2013

Country: United States

URL: http://www.iir.com/Documents/Homicide_Process_Mapping_September_email.pdf

Shelf Number: 131618

Keywords:
Crime Analysis
Crime Mapping
Criminal Investigation
Homicides (U.S.)
Violent Crimes

Author:

Title: Curbing Violence in Nigeria (II): The Boko Haram Insurgency

Summary: In its latest report, Curbing Violence in Nigeria (II): The Boko Haram Insurgency, the International Crisis Group examines the emergence, rise and evolution of a movement whose four-year insurgency has killed thousands, displaced close to a million, destroyed public infrastructure and weakened the country's already poor economy, particularly in the North East. The government's failure to provide security and basic services makes poor youth, in particular, an easy recruitment target for anti-state militias. As Boko Haram's network expands into Cameroon and Niger, a military response is not enough. Only deep political and socio-economic reform can ease the injustices that fuel the insurgency. The report's major findings and recommendations are: - Boko Haram's evolution since 2002 is strongly linked to failed governance, economic hardship, rising social inequality, corruption and impunity. Most Nigerians are poorer today than at independence in 1960. Poverty is most dire in the north, where Boko Haram, the latest of many northern fundamentalist movements, has tapped into Muslim revivalism and hopes to establish an Islamic state. - Since 2010, the group's campaign has grown, targeting not only security forces and politicians, but also civilians, traditional and religious leaders, public institutions, the UN presence and schools. It is more dispersed than ever, with many leaders in Cameroon and Niger, both of which are poorly equipped to address an armed Islamist threat. Boko Haram's leader, Abubakar Shekau, seems to have little control over its factions, including Ansaru, which focuses on foreign targets. - Insecurity in much of the north may also worsen political violence and undermine the credibility of the 2015 elections, further damaging government legitimacy. -Federal and state governments must end impunity by prosecuting crimes by security services, government officials and Boko Haram members alike, and urgently develop and implement a socio-economic intervention program for the North East region. - Civic education to halt politicisation of religions, effective development and anti-corruption efforts, and police who are seen as partners to citizens are all vital.

Details: Brussels: International Crisis Group, 2014. 82p.

Source: Internet Resource: Africa Report No. 216: Accessed April 28, 2014 at: http://www.crisisgroup.org/~/media/Files/africa/west-africa/nigeria/216-curbing-violence-in-nigeria-ii-the-boko-haram-insurgency.pdf

Year: 2014

Country: Nigeria

URL: http://www.crisisgroup.org/~/media/Files/africa/west-africa/nigeria/216-curbing-violence-in-nigeria-ii-the-boko-haram-insurgency.pdf

Shelf Number: 1132191

Keywords:
Homicides
Human Rights (Nigeria)
Political Corruption
Violence
Violent Crimes

Author: Muggah, Robert

Title: Researching the Urban Dilemma: Urbanization, Poverty and Violence

Summary: In 2007, the world became a predominantly urban society. Across the world, an estimated three quarters of economic production takes place in cities. Urbanization brings with it possibilities of improved access to jobs, goods and services for poor people in developing countries and beyond as globalization trends connect cities world-wide. However, urbanization has also brought new challenges in terms of conflict, violence and urban governance - and citizen security in particular. The World Bank's landmark 2011 World Development Report highlighted the significance of violence as a development problem. Its work noted how violence is changing, becoming less structured around notions of civil war and conflict, and more focused around criminal violence, terrorism and civil unrest. The impacts of violence on human development are significant and varied. As Stergios Skaperdas has documented, they include direct costs such as death and injury, destruction to public infrastructure, personal property and assets, as well as indirect costs like psychological trauma, population displacement, the disruption of social services, reduced economic growth, brain drain and increased spending on law enforcement. What is clear is that violence has emerged as one of the central development challenges of our time. Virtually all fragile states have experienced repeated episodes of violence, and the large majority of the world's poorest people live in states affected by violence - over 1.5 billion people. As the 2011 World Development Report has underscored, the close relationship between violence and poverty is reflected in this stark fact: no low-income fragile or conflict-affected state has yet to achieve a single Millennium Development Goal. Today's cities are centres of multi-layered violence. Criminal and organized violence, associated with the drug trade in some countries have become entwined with national politics. Gangs and militias have come to substitute for public authority, offering some protection to communities, but often at great cost. Social violence, including violence within the household, is also a significant problem, particularly for vulnerable youth and women living in these environments. In response to these challenges, Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the United Kingdom's Department for International Development (DFID) have launched Safe and Inclusive Cities. This collaborative research initiative is aimed at generating an evidence base on the connections between urban violence, inequalities and poverty and on identifying the most effective strategies for addressing these challenges. The present study marks the first step in this endeavour, and has served to inform the design and scope of the Safe and Inclusive Cities research initiative. Towards this end, the study set out to achieve four objectives: 1. Document what is known about the connections between violence, inequalities and poverty in urban centres and assess the strength of the knowledge base. Particular focus was given to assessing evidence from Latin America and the Caribbean, Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia; 2. Describe the state of theory on violence, urbanization and poverty reduction, and assess the extent to which they interact, and whether emerging evidence actually informs theoretical debates and assumptions guiding work in these fields; 3. Identify key evidence gaps that require further investigation; and 4. Map out key actors (researchers and research organizations) that are producing knowledge on these issues. The outcome is a study that promotes an integrated and comprehensive approach to tackling the challenges posed by rapid urbanization, escalating violence, and increased poverty and inequalities.

Details: Ottawa: International Development Research Centre, 2012.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 9, 2014 at: http://www.idrc.ca/EN/PublishingImages/Researching-the-Urban-Dilemma-Baseline-study.pdf

Year: 2012

Country: International

URL: http://www.idrc.ca/EN/PublishingImages/Researching-the-Urban-Dilemma-Baseline-study.pdf

Shelf Number: 129785

Keywords:
Poverty
Socioeconomic Conditions and Crime
Urban Areas
Violence
Violent Crimes

Author: Parsons, Chelsea

Title: Young Guns: How Gun Violence is Devastating the Millennial Generation

Summary: American children and teenagers are 4 times more likely to die by gunfire than their counterparts in Canada, 7 times more likely than young people in Israel, and 65 times more likely to be killed with a gun than children and teenagers in the United Kingdom. Even though violent crime has steadily declined in recent years-overall violent crime declined 19 percent between 2003 and 2012, and the murder rate declined 17 percent during that period-rates of gun violence remain unacceptably high. On average, 33,000 Americans are killed with guns each year, and the burden of this violence falls disproportionately on young people: 54 percent of people murdered with guns in 2010 were under the age of 30. Young people are also disproportionately the perpetrators of gun violence, as weak gun laws offer easy access to guns in many parts of the country. Far too often, a gun not only takes the life of one young American but also contributes to ruining the life of another young person who pulls the trigger. And while guns play a role in so many deaths of America's youth, very few public health research dollars are spent to understand the causes of this epidemic and develop policy solutions to address it. In the wake of the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in December 2012, the issue of gun violence has received renewed attention in this country, and many voices are now calling for solutions to this public health crisis. In this environment of increased focus on gun violence, Millennials' voices are crucial. As discussed in detail below, young Americans suffer disproportionately from gun violence. Beyond the numbers, which are startling, the voices of young people must be heard and the stories told about the effect of this violence on their lives and communities. In this report, we present data on the disproportionate impact of gun violence on young people; discuss the prevalence of young people as perpetrators of such violence and the ramifications of involvement in the criminal justice system; and highlight poll numbers indicating that Millennials are increasingly concerned about the presence of guns in their communities. With an American under the age of 25 dying by gunfire every 70 minutes, we must all recognize that gun violence among youth is an urgent problem that must be addressed.

Details: Washington, DC: Center for American Progress, 2014. 16p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 28, 2014 at: http://cdn.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/CAP-Youth-Gun-Violence-report.pdf

Year: 2014

Country: United States

URL: http://cdn.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/CAP-Youth-Gun-Violence-report.pdf

Shelf Number: 132786

Keywords:
Gun-Related Violence
Guns
Homicides
Violent Crimes

Author: Schildkraut, Jaclyn V.

Title: Mass Murder and the Mass Media: An Examination of the Media Discourse on U.S. Rampage Shootings, 2000-2012

Summary: Nearly as soon as the first shot is fired, the news media already are rushing to break coverage of rampage shooting events, the likes of which typically last days or, in the more extreme cases, weeks. Though rampage shootings are rare in occurrence, the disproportionate amount of coverage they receive in the media leads the public to believe that they occur at a much more regular frequency than they do. Further, within this group of specialized events, there is a greater tendency to focus on those that are the most newsworthy, which is categorized most often by those with the highest body counts. This biased presentation can lead to a number of outcomes, including fear of crime, behavioral changes, and even copycat attacks from other, like-minded perpetrators. Following the 1999 shooting at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, the news media have compartmentalized different types of mass shootings. This fracturing has led to differential understanding of school shootings, workplace shootings, shootings at religious centers, and other mass shootings taking place in public forums (e.g., malls, movie theaters). In reality, there are few differences between these events, yet for some reason, they are covered differently. The result is not only a vast public misconception about them, but ineffective and redundant policies and legislation related to gun control and mental health, among other issues. In order to understand how the public comes to understand rampage shooting events, one must first understand how the stories are constructed by the media. This project seeks to undertake such a task by examining the social construction of rampage shootings that occurred between 2000 and 2012. In addition to understanding how these events are constructed both individually and as the phenomenon of rampage shootings, it enables the researcher to examine how this construction changes over time. As the media are by no means static, one could predict that the framing of these events would be equally as dynamic. There are a number of benefits to uniting different types of mass shootings under a single definition. First, topical research can be approached from multiple disciplines, which will allow for a more robust body of research. This can, in turn, lead to more streamlined and effective legislation and policies. Finally, understanding rampage shootings as episodic violent crime is beneficial because it allows for these events to be understood in the greater context of violent crime. This understanding ultimately can lead to more responsible journalistic practices, which can help to reduce the outcomes of fear and crime and moral panics over events that are both rare and isolated. This dissertation takes an important first step in understanding rampage shootings by examining them as a product of the news media. Berger and Luckmann's social construction theory provides a theoretical orientation through which to understand how these stories are constructed in the media, and Altheide and Schneider's (2013) qualitative media analysis provides a framework in which the content can be analyzed. A total of 91 cases were examined, representing rampage shootings that occurred in the first 12 years following Columbine. The overall findings of the study indicate that the coverage of these shootings consistently relied on Columbine as a cultural referent, that the media are used as a tool by claims makers pushing their personal agendas, and that the disproportionality of coverage in the media and its related content is highly problematic when considering public perceptions of these events. Limitations of the study, as well as avenues for future research, also are discussed.

Details: San Marcos, TX: Texas State University, 2014. 247p.

Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed September 29, 2014 at: https://digital.library.txstate.edu/bitstream/handle/10877/4947/SCHILDKRAUT-DISSERTATION-2014.pdf?sequence=1

Year: 2014

Country: United States

URL: https://digital.library.txstate.edu/bitstream/handle/10877/4947/SCHILDKRAUT-DISSERTATION-2014.pdf?sequence=1

Shelf Number: 133477

Keywords:
Gun Violence
Gun-Related Violence
Mass Media
Mass Murders (U.S.)
Violent Crimes

Author: Couttenier, Mathieu

Title: The Wild West is Wild: The Homicide Resource Curse

Summary: We uncover interpersonal violence as a dimension and a mechanism of the resource curse. We rely on a historical natural experiment in the United States, in which mineral discoveries occurred at various stages of governmental territorial expansion. "Early" mineral discoveries, before full-fledged rule of law is in place in a county, are associated with higher levels of interpersonal violence, both historically and today. The persistence of this homicide resource curse is partly explained by the low quality of (subsequent) judicial institutions. The specificity of our results to violent crime also suggests that a private order of property rights did emerge on the frontier, but that it was enforced through high levels of interpersonal violence. The results are robust to state-specific effects, to comparing only neighboring counties, and to comparing only discoveries within short time intervals of one another.

Details: Sydney: University of New South Wales, Australian School of Business, 2014. 42p.

Source: Internet Resource: UNSW Australian School of Business Research Paper No. 2014-12 : Accessed October 1, 2014 at: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2406707

Year: 2014

Country: United States

URL: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2406707

Shelf Number: 133536

Keywords:
Homicides (U.S.)
Interpersonal Violence
Violent Crimes

Author: Wen, Hefei

Title: The Effect of Substance Use Disorder Treatment Use on Crime: Evidence from Public Insurance Expansions and Health Insurance Parity Mandates

Summary: We examine the effect of increasing the substance use disorder (SUD) treatment rate on reducing violent and property crime rates, based on county-level panels of SUD treatment and crime data between 2001 and 2008 across the United States. To address the potential endogeneity of the SUD treatment rate with respect to crime rate, we exploit the exogenous variation in the SUD treatment rate induced by two state-level policies, namely insurance expansions under the Health Insurance Flexibility and Accountability (HIFA) waivers and parity mandates for SUD treatment. Once we address the endogeneity issue, we are able to demonstrate an economically meaningful reduction in the rates of robbery, aggravated assault and larceny theft attributable to an increased SUD treatment rate. A back-of-the-envelope calculation shows that a 10 percent relative increase in the SUD treatment rate at an average cost of $1.6 billion yields a crime reduction benefit of $2.5 billion to $4.8 billion. Our findings suggest that expanding insurance coverage and benefits for SUD treatment is an effective policy lever to improve treatment use, and the improved SUD treatment use can effectively and cost-effectively promote public safety through crime reduction.

Details: Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research, 2014. 40p.

Source: Internet Resource: NBER Working Paper Series: Working Paper 20537: Accessed October 6, 2014 at: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2505843

Year: 2014

Country: United States

URL: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2505843

Shelf Number: 134228

Keywords:
Drug Abuse and Addition
Drug Abuse and Crime
Drug Abuse Treatment
Drug Offenders (U.S.)
Property Crimes
Recidivism
Substance Abuse Treatment
Violent Crimes

Author: United Nations Development Programme

Title: Citizen Security with a Human Face: Evidence and Proposals for Latin America

Summary: The HDR "Citizen Security with a Human Face: evidence and proposals for Latin America" reveals a paradox: in the past decade, the region experienced both economic growth and increased crime rates. Despite social improvements, Latin America remains the most unequal and most insecure region in the world. While homicide rates reduced in other regions, they increased in Latin America, which recorded over 100,000 murders per year, totaling more than a million from 2000-2010. While homicide rates stabilized and even declined in some parts of Latin America, it is still high: in 11 of the 18 assessed countries the rate is higher than 10 murders per 100,000 inhabitants, reaching epidemic levels. Moreover, the perception of security has worsened, with robberies hiking threefold in the last 25 years, says the regional HDR.

Details: New York: United Nations Development Programme, 2013. 36p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 24, 2014 at: http://hdr.undp.org/sites/default/files/citizen_security_with_a_human_face_-executivesummary.pdf

Year: 2013

Country: Latin America

URL: http://hdr.undp.org/sites/default/files/citizen_security_with_a_human_face_-executivesummary.pdf

Shelf Number: 133810

Keywords:
Homicides (Latin America)
Murders
Security
Violent Crimes

Author: Alexander, Jemma

Title: A Place-Based Approach to Understanding Gun Violence: Exploring the Physical Characteristics of Sites where Youth-Related Gun Violence Occurred in the Halifax Regional Municipality

Summary: This research examines whether a greater understanding of the causes of gun violence can be gleaned by examining the characteristics of the physical and built environment where shootings take place. This study seeks to fill a void in the extant literature by exploring the characteristics of sites where youth gun violence occurred in Halifax Regional Municipality. Drawing from the literature on the relationship between crime, crime prevention and the physical environment, 36 shooting sites were examined to identify common design features. A standardized questionnaire gathered data that measured four physical and built environmental attributes that the literature suggests can influence the opportunity for criminal and violent acts to occur in a particular time and place: (1) location/surrounding environment, (2) site permeability, (3) surveillance opportunities, and (4) image. The findings indicate that the following are common characteristics of sites where shootings took place: a high level of accessibility to targets via through streets and intersections, locations close to crime generators (bus stops, public housing, and fast food restaurants), design features that limit surveillance opportunities, and poorly maintained properties. These findings are limited by this study's lack of analysis that could draw a causal relationship between the physical and built environment, on the one hand, and human behavior (including that of offenders and the legitimate users of these sites), on the other.

Details: Halifax, Nova Scotia: Saint Mary's University, 2014. 92p.

Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed November 10, 2014 at: http://library2.smu.ca/bitstream/handle/01/25791/alexander_jemma_masters_2014.pdf?sequence=1

Year: 2014

Country: Canada

URL: http://library2.smu.ca/bitstream/handle/01/25791/alexander_jemma_masters_2014.pdf?sequence=1

Shelf Number: 134012

Keywords:
Gun Violence
Gun-Related Violence
Physical Environment
Situational Crime Prevention
Violent Crimes

Author: Great Britain. Home Office

Title: Serious and Organised Crime Local Profiles: A Guide

Summary: 1.1 In its National Security Strategy in 2010 the Government made clear that serious and organised crime (SOC) is a national security threat which needs an effective cross-government and law enforcement response. 1.2 Serious and organised crime includes: trafficking and dealing in drugs, people, weapons and counterfeit goods; sophisticated theft and robbery; fraud and other forms of financial crime; and cyber crime and cyber-enabled crime. It also includes modern slavery and child sexual exploitation. 1.3 Law enforcement agency estimates tell us that over 30,000 people are engaged in serious and organised crime in this country, operating in over 5,000 groups. We think that the cost to government from their activities is at least $24 billion each year and likely to be very much more.1 That figure does not include costs to the private sector: to protect itself from serious and organised crime the financial sector alone spends $10 billion each year. 1.4 In 2010 the Government made a commitment to develop a new national law enforcement organisation - the National Crime Agency (NCA) - to co-ordinate work against serious and organised crime in this country. The NCA was launched in 2013. 1.5 At the same time the Government published a new strategy to deal with serious and organised crime which was agreed by all the ministers represented at the National Security Council. The strategy and a high level summary are available online at: www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/248646/Serious_and_organised_crime_strategy_pamphlet.pdf. 1.6 The strategy deliberately uses the framework developed for counter-terrorist work and has four main objectives (the 4Ps): - PURSUE: prosecuting and disrupting people engaged in serious and organised crime; - PREVENT: preventing people from engaging in serious and organised crime; - PROTECT: increasing protection against serious and organised crime; - PREPARE: reducing the impact of this criminality where it takes place. 1.7 The strategy starts from an important assumption. Neither the police nor the NCA on their own can tackle the breadth and complexity of the threat from serious and organised crime. 1.8 Like other threats to our national security, serious and organised crime requires a response across the whole of government, and close collaboration with the public, the private sector and with many other countries. 2.1 This guidance provides an overview of the development, distribution and effective use of Local Profiles on serious and organised crime. 2.2 Police forces will continue to conduct most law enforcement work on serious and organised crime. They should be supported by new local, multi-agency partnerships, including representatives from local authorities, education, health and social care, and Immigration Enforcement. The effect must be to ensure that all available information and powers are brought to bear locally against serious and organised crime. 2.3 These local partnerships will need a common understanding of the threat from serious and organised crime and how it impacts upon local communities. Reflecting relevant learning from counter-terrorism (notably the development of what are known as Counter-Terrorism Local Profiles or CTLPs) and existing good practice in serious and organised crime, we want police forces and the NCA to develop and share Local Profiles of serious and organised crime. 2.4 CTLPs have been produced since 2009, and have been subject to a comprehensive national review of their production and delivery process as well as a stakeholder survey.2 The review identified both examples of good practice and key areas for improvement. The findings were positive and provide a useful evidence base 2 National Counter-Terrorism Local Profile Review (December 2009) and Ipsos Mori (January 2010) for the content of this guidance. Key findings were that CTLPs: - are a useful and engaging resource and a catalyst for closer partnership working and local action; - are generally well received and valued, and briefings are - and should - become 'business as usual' for many force areas; - need to contain information that is relevant, up to date and localised; - should provide practical recommendations that partners can own and progress; and - should be shared more widely and with greater consistency. 2.5 This guidance is aimed particularly at the police and local partnerships that should be using Local Profiles to inform their action plans to tackle serious and organised crime. It should also be shared with other serious and organised crime partners where appropriate. Much of the information it contains will also be helpful to non-Home Office police forces, other enforcement agencies and partners in devolved administrations which are responsible for reducing the level of serious and organised crime.

Details: London: Home Office, 2014. 31p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 18, 2014 at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/371602/Serious_and_Organised_Crime_local_profiles.pdf

Year: 2014

Country: United Kingdom

URL: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/371602/Serious_and_Organised_Crime_local_profiles.pdf

Shelf Number: 134120

Keywords:
National Security
Organized Crime (U.K.)
Policing
Violent Crimes

Author: Haider-Markel, Donald P.

Title: Attributing Blame in Tragedy: Understanding Attitudes About the Causes of Three Mass Shootings

Summary: Individuals develop causal stories about the world around them that explain events, behaviors, and conditions. These stories may attribute causes to controllable components, such as individual choice, or uncontrollable components, such as systematic forces in the environment. Here we employ motivated reasoning and attribution theory to understand causal attributions the 2007 Virginia Tech shootings, the 2009 Fort Hood shootings, and the 2011 Tucson, Arizona shootings. We argue that causal attributions stem from individual reasoning that is primarily motivated by existing dispositions and accuracy motives. Both motivations are present for attributions about these mass shootings and we seek to understand their significance and whether dispositional motives condition accuracy drives. We are able to test several hypotheses using individual level survey data from several national surveys to explain attributions about the shootings. Our findings suggest a substantial partisan divide on the causes of the tragedies and considerable differences between the least and most educated respondents. However, our analyses also reveal that while education has virtually no influence on the attributions made by Republicans, it heightens the differences among Democrats. We discuss these findings for the public's understanding of these tragedies and more broadly for attribution research.

Details: Lawrence, KS: University of Kansas, Department of Political Science, 2011. 32p.

Source: Internet Resource: APSA 2011 Annual Meeting Paper: Accessed November 25, 2014 at: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1901759

Year: 2011

Country: United States

URL: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1901759

Shelf Number: 134235

Keywords:
Gun Violence
Homicides
Mass Homicides
Mass Shootings (U.S.)
Violent Crimes

Author: Petrosino, Anthony

Title: The Impact of the Safe and Successful Youth Initiative (SSYI) on City-Level Youth Crime Victimization Rates. An Interrupted Time Series Analysis with Comparison Groups

Summary: The physical, emotional and financial costs on individuals and neighborhoods resulting from youth violence are well documented. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (2013), the third leading cause of death for young people between the ages of 10-24 is homicide; for black males, it is the leading cause of death. To address serious youth violence, particularly that involving guns, Massachusetts initiated the Safe and Successful Youth Initiative (SSYI) in 2011, providing a comprehensive public health approach to addressing young men, between the ages of 14-24, believed to be at "proven risk" for being involved in firearms. Eleven cities with the highest violent offenses reported to the police in 2010 were selected for SSYI funding in 2011 and started implementing the program. Although there are variations across sites, there are some components that are mandatory and must be included in each SSYI program at the city level: - Specific identification of young men, 14-24, at highest risk for being involved in firearms violence - Use of street outreach workers to find these young men, assess their current needs, and act as brokers for services to address unmet needs - The provision of a continuum of comprehensive services including education, employment, and intensive supervision

Details: Boston: Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services, 2014. 63p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 5, 2015 at: http://www.air.org/sites/default/files/downloads/report/SSYI%20-%20Interrupted%20Time%20Series%20Study%20of%20Community%20Victimization%20Outcomes%202011-2013_0.pdf

Year: 2014

Country: United States

URL: http://www.air.org/sites/default/files/downloads/report/SSYI%20-%20Interrupted%20Time%20Series%20Study%20of%20Community%20Victimization%20Outcomes%202011-2013_0.pdf

Shelf Number: 134553

Keywords:
Gun Violence
Gun Violence (Massachusetts)
Juvenile Offenders
Street Outreach Workers
Treatment Programs
Violent Crimes
Youth Violence
Youthful Offenders

Author: Smith, Erica L.

Title: Homicide in the U.S. Known to Law Enforcement, 2011

Summary: In 2011, an estimated 14,610 persons were victims of homicide in the United States, according to FBI data on homicides known to state and local law enforcement (figure 1). This is the lowest number of homicide victims since 1968, and marks the fifth consecutive year of decline. The homicide rate in 2011 was 4.7 homicides per 100,000 persons, the lowest level since 1963. This homicide rate was also 54% below its peak of 10.2 per 100,000 persons in 1980 and 17% below the rate in 2002 (5.6 homicides per 100,000). These findings are based on analyses conducted by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) using data from the FBI's Supplementary Homicide Reports (SHR). The SHR collects detailed information on each homicide reported to state and local law enforcement in the United States, including victim and suspected offender demographic characteristics, the type of weapon used during the incident, and the number of victims killed during the incident. This report describes homicides known to law enforcement in 2011, the most recent year for which detailed data are available, and examines homicide trends from 1992 to 2011, with selected findings from 1960.

Details: Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2013. 18p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 18, 2015 at: http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/hus11.pdf

Year: 2013

Country: United States

URL: http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/hus11.pdf

Shelf Number: 135704

Keywords:
Crime Statistics
Homicides
Violent Crimes

Author: Krouse, William J.

Title: Mass Murder with Firearms: Incidents and Victims, 1999-2013

Summary: In the wake of tragedy in Newtown CT, Congress defined "mass killings" as "3 or more killings in a single incident" (P.L. 112-265). Any consideration of new or existing gun laws that follows mass shootings is likely to generate requests for comprehensive data on the prevalence and deadliness of these incidents. Despite the pathos of mass shootings, only a handful of researchers and journalists have analyzed the principal source of homicide data in the United States-the Supplementary Homicide Reports (SHR) compiled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)-to determine whether those incidents have become more prevalent and deadly. According to the FBI, the term "mass murder" has been defined generally as a multiple homicide incident in which four or more victims are murdered, within one event, and in one or more locations in close geographical proximity. Based on this definition, for the purposes of this report, "mass shooting" is defined as a multiple homicide incident in which four or more victims are murdered with firearms, within one event, and in one or more locations in close proximity. Similarly, a "mass public shooting" is defined to mean a multiple homicide incident in which four or more victims are murdered with firearms, within one event, in at least one or more public locations, such as, a workplace, school, restaurant, house of worship, neighborhood, or other public setting. This report analyzes mass shootings for a 15-year period (1999-2013). CRS analysis of the FBI SHR dataset and other research indicates that offenders committed at least 317 mass shootings, murdered 1,554 victims, and nonfatally wounded another 441 victims entirely with firearms during that 15-year period. The prevalence of mass shooting incidents and victim counts fluctuated sporadically from year to year. For the period 2007-2013, the annual averages for both incidents and victim counts were slightly higher than the years from 1999-2007. With data provided by criminologist Grant Duwe, CRS also compiled a 44-year (1970-2013) dataset of firearms-related mass murders that could arguably be characterized as "mass public shootings." These data show that there were on average: - one (1.1) incident per year during the 1970s (5.5 victims murdered, 2.0 wounded per incident), - nearly three (2.7) incidents per year during the 1980s (6.1 victims murdered, 5.3 wounded per incident), - four (4.0) incidents per year during the 1990s (5.6 victims murdered, 5.5 wounded per incident), - four (4.1) incidents per year during the 2000s (6.4 victims murdered, 4.0 wounded per incident), and - four (4.5) incidents per year from 2010 through 2013 (7.4 victims murdered, 6.3 wounded per incident). These decade-long averages suggest that the prevalence, if not the deadliness, of "mass public shootings" increased in the 1970s and 1980s, and continued to increase, but not as steeply, during the 1990s, 2000s, and first four years of the 2010s. Mass shootings are arguably one of the worst manifestations of gun violence. As discussed in this report, statute, media outlets, gun control and rights advocates, law enforcement agencies, and researchers often adopt different definitions of "mass killing," "mass murder," and "mass shooting," contributing to a welter of claims and counter-claims about the prevalence and deadliness of mass shootings. With improved data, policymakers would arguably have additional vantage points from which to assess the legislative proposals that are inevitably made in the wake of these tragedies. Toward these ends, Congress could consider directing one or several federal agencies, including but not limited to the FBI and BJS, to improve collection of data on multiple-victim homicides. Congress could also direct federal agencies, possibly the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, to report annually on firearms-related mass murders, including data on (1) offender acquisition of firearms, (2) types of firearms used, (3) amounts and types of ammunition carried and shots fired, (4) killed and wounded counts, (5) offender histories of mental illness and domestic violence, and (6) victim-offender relationships.

Details: Washington, DC: Congressional Research Service, 2015. 51p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 3, 2015 at: http://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R44126.pdf

Year: 2015

Country: United States

URL: http://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R44126.pdf

Shelf Number: 136296

Keywords:
Gun-Related Violence
Guns
Homicides
Mass Homicides
Mass Murders
Violent Crimes

Author: International Crisis Group

Title: Curbing Violence in Nigeria (III): Revisiting the Niger Delta

Summary: Violence in the Niger Delta may soon increase unless the Nigerian government acts quickly and decisively to address long-simmering grievances. With the costly Presidential Amnesty Program for ex-insurgents due to end in a few months, there are increasingly bitter complaints in the region that chronic poverty and catastrophic oil pollution, which fuelled the earlier rebellion, remain largely unaddressed. Since Goodluck Jonathan, the first president from the Delta, lost re-election in March, some activists have resumed agitation for greater resource control and self-determination, and a number of ex-militant leaders are threatening to resume fighting ("return to the creeks"). While the Boko Haram insurgency in the North East is the paramount security challenge, President Muhammadu Buhari rightly identifies the Delta as a priority. He needs to act firmly but carefully to wind down the amnesty program gradually, revamp development and environmental programs, facilitate passage of the long-stalled Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) and improve security and rule of law across the region. The Technical Committee on the Niger Delta, a special body mandated in 2008 to advance solutions to the region's multiple problems, proposed the amnesty program, whose implementation since 2009, coupled with concessions to former militant leaders, brought a semblance of peace and enabled oil production to regain pre-insurgency levels. However, the government has largely failed to carry out other recommendations that addressed the insurgency's root causes, including inadequate infrastructure, environmental pollution, local demands for a bigger share of oil revenues, widespread poverty and youth unemployment. Two agencies established to drive development, the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs (MNDA), have floundered. Two others mandated to restore the oil-polluted environment (particularly in Ogoni Land) and curb or manage hundreds of oil spills yearly, the Hydrocarbon Pollution Restoration Project (HYPREP) and the National Oil Spills Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), have been largely ineffective. The PIB, intended to improve oil and gas industry governance and possibly also create special funds for communities in petroleum-producing areas, has been stuck in the National Assembly (federal parliament) since 2009. In sum, seven years after the technical committee's report, the conditions that sparked the insurgency could easily trigger a new phase of violent conflict. The outcome of the presidential election has also heightened tensions. While most people in the region acknowledge that Jonathan lost, some former militant leaders and groups accept Buhari only conditionally. For instance, the Niger Delta People's Salvation Front (NDPSF), the civil successor to the militant Niger Delta People's Volunteer Force (NDPVF), claims Jonathan's ouster was the product of a conspiracy by northerners and the Yoruba from the South West against the Delta peoples and the South East. Apparently influenced by that view, some groups are resuming old demands, hardly heard during the Jonathan presidency, for regional autonomy or "self-determination". Local tensions generated by the polls also pose risks, particularly in Rivers state, where Governor Nyesom Wike (of ex-President Jonathan's People's Democratic Party, PDP) and ex-Governor Rotimi Amaechi (of President Buhari's All Progressives Congress, APC) are bitter foes. With many guns in unauthorised hands, politically motivated assassinations and kidnappings for ransom, already common, could increase. Policy and institutional changes are necessary but, if not prepared and implemented inclusively and transparently, could themselves trigger conflict. Buhari has declared that the amnesty program, which costs over $500 million per year, is due to end in December. He has terminated petroleum pipeline protection contracts that Jonathan awarded to companies owned by ex-militant leaders and the Yoruba ethnic militia, O'odua People's Congress (OPC), and may streamline the Delta's inefficient development-intervention agencies. He may also withdraw the PIB from parliament for revision. Some of this is desirable, even inevitable, but a number of former militant leaders and other entrenched interests threaten resistance and a possible return to violence. A perception that the government's actions are reversing the Delta's gains could aggravate local grievances and precipitate armed violence. At its peak in 2009, the insurgency in the Niger Delta was claiming an estimated 1,000 lives a year, had cut Nigeria's oil output by over 50 per cent and was costing the government close to four billion naira (nearly $19 million) per day in counter-insurgency operations. A resurgence of violence and increased oil-related crime in the Delta could seriously undermine national security and economic stability, which is already weighed down by the Boko Haram insurgency and dwindling oil revenues.

Details: Brussels: International Crisis Group, 2015. 38p.

Source: Internet Resource: Africa Report No. 231: Accessed September 30, 2015 at: http://www.crisisgroup.org/~/media/Files/africa/west-africa/nigeria/231-curbing-violence-in-nigeria-iii-re-visiting-the-niger-delta.pdf

Year: 2015

Country: Nigeria

URL: http://www.crisisgroup.org/~/media/Files/africa/west-africa/nigeria/231-curbing-violence-in-nigeria-iii-re-visiting-the-niger-delta.pdf

Shelf Number: 136897

Keywords:
Boko Haram
Human Rights
Oil Industry
Political Corruption
Pollutioni
Violence
Violent Crimes

Author: Gomez-Sorzano, Gustavo

Title: Terrorist murder, cycles of violence, and terrorist attacks in New York City during the last two centuries

Summary: I apply the Beveridge-Nelson business cycle decomposition method to the time series of murder of New York City – NYC (1797-2005). Separating out "permanent" from "cyclical" murder, I hypothesize that the cyclical part coincides with documented waves of organized crime, internal tensions, breakdowns in social order, crime legislation, social, and political unrest, and recently with the periodic terrorist attacks in the city. The estimated cyclical terrorist murder component warns that terrorist attacks in New York City from 1826 to 2005, historically occur in the estimated turning point dates, of whether a declining, or ascending cycle, and so, it must be used in future research to construct a model for explaining the causal reasons for its movement across time, and for forecasting terrorist murder and attacks for New York City.

Details: Munich: Munich Personal RePEc Archive, 2007. 27p.

Source: Internet Resource: MPRA Paper No. 4200: Accessed December 7, 2016 at: https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/4200/1/MPRA_paper_4200.pdf

Year: 2007

Country: United States

URL: https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/4200/1/MPRA_paper_4200.pdf

Shelf Number: 147950

Keywords:
Cycles of Violence
Terrorism
Terrorists
Violent Crimes

Author: Kronick, Dorothy

Title: Prosperity and Violence in Illegal Markets

Summary: Does prosperity generate violence in markets with ill-defined property rights? I consider the consequences of prosperity in drug trafficking markets in Venezuela. Using an original data set constructed from Ministry of Health records, I compare violent death trends in Venezuelan municipalities near trafficking routes to trends elsewhere, both before 1989 - when trafficking volumes were negligible - and after 1989, when heightened counter-narcotics operations in neighboring Colombia increased the use of Venezuelan transport routes. I find that, for thirty years prior to 1989, violent death trends and levels were nearly identical in treatment and control municipalities. After 1989, outcomes diverged: violence increased more in municipalities along trafficking routes than elsewhere. I estimate the difference-in-differences as approximately 10 violent deaths per 100,000, a magnitude similar to the overall pre-1989 violent death rate. Together with qualitative accounts, I interpret these findings as evidence in favor of the longstanding notion that, without Leviathan, prosperity creates violence.

Details: Unpublished paper, 2016. 55p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 7, 2017 at: http://dorothykronick.com/wp-content/uploads/ProsperityViolence_2016July2.pdf

Year: 2016

Country: Venezuela

URL: http://dorothykronick.com/wp-content/uploads/ProsperityViolence_2016July2.pdf

Shelf Number: 144742

Keywords:
Drug Trafficking
Homicides
Illegal Markets
Murders
Violence
Violent Crimes

Author: Sant'Anna, Andre Albuquerque

Title: Deforestation, land conflicts and violence in Brazil

Summary: This paper examines the correlation between deforestation, land conflicts and violence, measured by homicides, in Rural Brazil. It follows the framework proposed by Santanna and Young (2011), originally applied to the Brazilian Amazon, extending it to the rest of the country. A two-stage regression analysis was carried out but the main results remain the same as previous studies: deforestation and violence are associated and supports the hypothesis that both result from a poor definition of property rights.

Details: Unpublished paper, 2011. 16p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 28, 2017 at: http://www.naurocampos.net/pnbr/papers/Young_paper.pdf

Year: 2011

Country: Brazil

URL: http://www.naurocampos.net/pnbr/papers/Young_paper.pdf

Shelf Number: 145191

Keywords:
Deforestation
Forests
Homicides
Offenses Against the Environment
Property Rights
Violent Crimes

Author: Lutchminarain, Natasha

Title: Safety as a Priority at Shopping Centres in Gauteng: An assessment of existing security measures

Summary: Violent crime and more specifically armed robberies constitute a growing threat to shopping centres in terms of their vulnerability to such criminal acts. These violent crimes are becoming ever more organised and sophisticated. Shopping centres across South Africa have become the latest targets for these syndicates. Due to the increasing number of armed robberies and violent crimes at shopping centres and the nature of violence used in these attacks, it points to a need for improvements to be made to the security measures that are in place at shopping centres. This study explored the risks and vulnerabilities at shopping centres that have led to the phenomenon of armed robberies at shopping centres in Gauteng; evaluated the current physical protection systems that are in place at shopping centres in Gauteng in order to assist with the reduction of shopping centre armed robberies; and recommendations were made for the implementation of effective security risk control measures at shopping centre's across South Africa and specifically the province of Gauteng. Self-administered questionnaire surveys were used to explore the phenomenon from the perspectives of both retail employees and customers. The data collected from the questionnaires, utilising the non-experimental research design, were quantitatively analysed. Based on the findings from the study recommendations for the improvement of shopping centre security were formulated along with recommendations for future research.

Details: Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa: University of South Africa, 2015. 188p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 17, 2017 at: http://uir.unisa.ac.za/bitstream/handle/10500/19862/Lutchminarain_n_dissertation.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

Year: 2015

Country: South Africa

URL: http://uir.unisa.ac.za/bitstream/handle/10500/19862/Lutchminarain_n_dissertation.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

Shelf Number: 146232

Keywords:
Armed Robbery
Crimes Against Businesses
Retail Security
Retail Stores
Security Measures
Shopping Centers
Shopping Malls
Violent Crimes

Author: Okanume, Joachin Uche

Title: A Survey of Violence-Related Deaths in Aninri and Isi-Uzo Local Government Areas of Enugu State, 2006-2014

Summary: Based in the premises of the French Institute for Research in Africa on the campus of the University of Ibadan, Nigeria Watch is a database project that has monitored fatal incidents and human security in Nigeria since 1 June 2006. The database compiles violent deaths on a daily basis, including fatalities resulting from accidents. It relies on a thorough reading of the Nigerian press (15 dailies & weeklies) and reports from human rights organisations. The two main objectives are to identify dangerous areas and assess the evolution of violence in the country. However, violence is not always reported by the media, especially in remote rural areas that are difficult to access. Hence, in the last 8 years, Nigeria Watch has not recorded any report of fatal incidents in some of the 774 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the Nigerian Federation. There are two possibilities: either these places were very peaceful, or they were not covered by the media. This series of surveys thus investigates 'invisible' violence. By 1 November 2014, there were still 23 LGAs with no report of fatal incidents in the Nigeria Watch database: Udung Uko and Urue-Offong/Oruko (Akwa Ibom), Kwaya Kusar (Borno), Nafada (Gombe), Auyo, Gagarawa, Kaugama and Yankwashi (Jigawa), Ingawa and Matazu (Katsina), Sakaba (Kebbi), Bassa, IgalamelaOdolu and Mopa-Muro (Kogi), Toto (Nassarawa), Ifedayo (Osun), Gudu and Gwadabaw (Sokoto), Ussa (Taraba), and Karasuwa, Machina, Nguru and Yunusari (Yobe).

Details: Ibadan: IFRA Nigeria, 2015. 35p.

Source: Internet Resource: IFRA-Nigeria working papers series, No 41 : Accessed June 17, 2017 at: http://www.nigeriawatch.org/media/html/WP16OkanumeFinal.pdf

Year: 2015

Country: Nigeria

URL: http://www.nigeriawatch.org/media/html/WP16OkanumeFinal.pdf

Shelf Number: 146242

Keywords:
Homicides
Violence
Violent Crimes

Author: Vilalta, Carlos

Title: Global Trends and Projections of Homicidal Violence: 2000 to 2030

Summary: There are marked differences in the evolution of intentional homicide in different regions of the world. While global homicide rates are at historic lows, there are regions where homicidal violence is persistent and shows no sign of decreasing. This Homicide Dispatch explores these regional variations, identifying the countries that are driving past and present trends. The Dispatch also offers short-term projections of homicide in the coming years. It finds that while homicide rates are decreasing (Africa, Asia, Europe and North America) or stable (Oceania), they nevertheless continue increasing in Latin America. Specifically, Central America and the Caribbean are the main drivers of upward trends. Future projections show that homicides may become rare events in most parts of the world even as they increase in Latin America.

Details: Rio de Janeiro: Igarape Institute, 2015. 16p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 9, 2017 at: https://igarape.org.br/en/homicide-dispatch-2/

Year: 2015

Country: International

URL: https://igarape.org.br/en/homicide-dispatch-2/

Shelf Number: 147195

Keywords:
Crime Statistics
Crime Trends
Homicides
Violent Crimes

Author: Cassell, Paul G.

Title: What Caused the 2016 Homicide Spike? An Empirical Examination of the 'ACLU Effect' and the Role of Stop and Frisks in Preventing Gun Violence

Summary: Homicides increased dramatically in Chicago in 2016. In 2015, 480 Chicago residents were killed. The next year, 754 were killed-274 more homicide victims, tragically producing an extraordinary 58% increase in a single year. This article attempts to unravel what happened. This article provides empirical evidence that the reduction in stop and frisks by the Chicago Police Department beginning around December 2015 was responsible for the homicide spike that started immediately thereafter. The sharp decline in the number of stop and frisks is a strong candidate for the causal factor, particularly since the timing of the homicide spike so perfectly coincides with the spike. Regression analysis of the homicide spike and related shooting crimes identifies the stop and frisk variable as the likely cause. The results are highly statistically significant and robust over a large number of alternative specifications. And a qualitative review for possible "omitted variables" in the regression equations fails to identify any other plausible candidates that fit the data as well as the decline in stop and frisks. Our regression equations permit quantification of the costs of the decline in stop and frisks. Because of fewer stop and frisks in 2016, it appears that (conservatively calculating) approximately 239 additional victims were killed and 1129 additional shootings occurred in that year alone. And these tremendous costs are not evenly distributed, but rather are concentrated among Chicago's African-American and Hispanic communities. The most likely explanation for the fall in stop and frisks that appears to have triggered the homicide spike is a consent decree entered into by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) with the Chicago Police Department (CPD). Accordingly, modifications to that consent decree may be appropriate. More broadly, these findings shed important light on the on-going national debate about stop and frisk policies. The fact that America's "Second City" suffered so badly from a decline in stop and frisks suggests that the arguably contrary experience in New York City may be an anomaly. The costs of crime - and particularly gun crimes - are too significant to avoid considering every possible measure for reducing the toll. The evidence gathered here suggests that stop and frisk policies may be truly lifesaving measures that have to be considered as part of any effective law enforcement response to gun violence.

Details: Salt Lake City: University of Utah, S.J. Quinney College of Law, 2018. 96p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 29, 2018 at: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3145287

Year: 2018

Country: United States

URL: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3145287

Shelf Number: 149607

Keywords:
Gun Violence
Gun-Related Violence
Homicides
Murders
Stop and Frisk
Violent Crimes

Author: Freire, Danilo Alves Mendes

Title: Evaluating the Effect of Homicide Prevention Strategies in Sao Paulo, Brazil: A Synthetic Control Approach

Summary: Although Brazil remains severely affected by civil violence, the state of Sao Paulo has made significant inroads into fighting criminality. In the last decade, Sao Paulo has witnessed a 70% decline in homicide rates, a result that policy-makers attribute to a series of crime-reducing measures implemented by the state government. While recent academic studies seem to confirm this downward trend, no estimation of the total impact of state policies on homicide rates currently exists. The present article fills this gap by employing the Synthetic Control Method to compare these measures against an artificial Sao Paulo. The results indicate a large drop in homicide rates in actual Sao Paulo when contrasted with the synthetic counterfactual, with about 20,000 lives saved during the period. The theoretical usefulness of the Synthetic Control Method for public policy analysis, the role of the Primeiro Comando da Capital as a causal mediator, and the practical implications of the security measures taken by the Sao Paulo state government are also discussed.

Details: Unpublished paper, 2016. 31p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 1, 2018 at: https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/8tmhe/

Year: 2016

Country: Brazil

URL: https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/8tmhe/

Shelf Number: 150424

Keywords:
Homicides
Urban Areas and Crime
Violence Prevention
Violent Crimes

Author: Eisner, Manuel

Title: What Causes Large-scale Variation in Homicide Rates?

Summary: Violence - i.e. the intentional infliction or threat of physical harm against another person - is a pervasive feature of human societies. There is no known human society where the equivalents of assault, rape, robbery, or murder do not occur. The omnipresence of violence amongst members of the human species has led some researchers to argue that violence has evolutionary roots in the development of humankind during the Pleistocene (2 Million years ago). According to this view violence was not always the dysfunctional 'disease' or abhorred crime as which it appears to be in contemporary societies. Rather, evolutionary psychologists argue, violence had a number of uses that increased the likelihood of survival of a person who is sometimes aggressive over somebody who is always peaceful (Buss & Shackelford, 1997; Eisner, 2009). But while violence seems to be a human universal, there also exists a lot of variation in the amount of violence in any society at a given moment of time. In some societies violent attacks by others account for up to 60% of all deaths, making violence a hugely important factor in one's chances to survive (Knauft et al., 1991; Robarchek & Robarchek, 1998). In other societies lethal interpersonal violence accounts for less than 0.05% of all deaths, meaning that it barely affects the overall life expectancy of a population. This suggests that the extent to which humans primarily display co-operative and caring or antagonistic and violent behaviour depends on social circumstances (Roth, 2011). This paper examines homicide, the best documented manifestation of violence. In particular, it examines whether any generalizable conclusions can be drawn from three research traditions that have tried to understand why societies differ in levels of homicide. The three research traditions examined here are a) criminological research on cross-national differences in homicide, b) comparative anthropological research on levels of lethal violence in non-state societies, and c) historical research on the factors that affect long-term variation in homicide rates over time. Many researchers believe that homicide is probably a good lead indicator of overall levels of interpersonal violence in a society. However, the extent to which this assumption is true is not clear, and one should bear in mind that different manifestations of violence may have different distributions across societies and over time. Thus, the large-scale variation in the frequency of rape, robbery, wife beating or infanticide may be partly correlated with the distribution of homicide, but each of these behaviours is probably also influenced by specific factors. The first section will examine the extent of variation in homicide across human societies. I then examine the extent to which some characteristics of 'homicide' differ between relatively peaceful societies and violent societies. This is important because we need to understand whether peaceful and violent societies simply have more or less of the same problems, or whether homicide in high-violence societies differs systematically from homicide in low homicide societies. In a third section I discuss empirical research in each research tradition on the factors that are systematically associated with variation in homicide levels, both over time and between societies. In a final section I examine some research gaps and strategies for future research.

Details: Cambridge, UK: University of Cambridge, Institute of Criminology, 2013. 23p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 8, 2019 at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/285635222_What_causes_large-scale_variation_in_homicide_rates

Year: 2013

Country: International

URL: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/285635222_What_causes_large-scale_variation_in_homicide_rates

Shelf Number: 154848

Keywords:
Crime Rates
Homicides
Violent Crimes

Author: Felbab-Brown, Vanda

Title: AMLO's Security Policy: Creative Ideas, Tough Reality

Summary: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY -- - Improving public safety, especially reducing Mexico's soaring murder rate, is the toughest challenge of Mexico's new president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (known as AMLO). - In November 2018, AMLO unveiled his National Peace and Security Plan 2018-2024, describing it as predominantly focused on the roots of insecurity, as opposed to confronting drug trafficking organizations (DTOs). The plan combines anti-corruption measures; economic policies; enhanced human rights protections; ethics reforms; public health, including treatment for drug use and exploration of drug legalization; transitional justice and amnesty for some criminals; and broader peace-building, to include traditional anti-crime measures such as prison reform and security sector reform, plus a new law enforcement force, the National Guard. - Various elements of his announced new security strategy-such as the formation of the National Guard - remain questionable and unclear and are unlikely to reduce violence quickly. - AMLO's proffered security strategy will likely create friction with the United States. Jointly countering fentanyl smuggling, however, could provide one venue of U.S.- Mexico cooperation. Corruption and Mexico's justice system - Combatting corruption is a foundational element of AMLO's security policy, and his administration has adopted a wide set of anti-corruption measures, including highly controversial and questionable ones. - However, AMLO has yet to appoint a dedicated anti-corruption prosecutor, make appointments to the National Anti-Corruption System, and support the 2016 National Anti-Corruption System reform. - AMLO has not broken with politically powerful and immensely corrupt unions, proposing instead to reverse reforms and lay off 70 percent of non-unionized federal workers. - It remains unclear whether AMLO will empower Mexico's civil society-crucial for reducing corruption-or continually define it as his antagonist. - AMLO's administration has not yet focused sufficiently on implementing the judicial reform by properly implementing the new prosecutorial system. - The administration has emphasized minimizing salary differences between public ministries, federal judges, prosecutors, and police officials. The weakness of prosecutors and their lack of cooperation with law enforcement and judges have been key stumbling blocks, keeping prosecution rates abysmally low. However, minimizing salary differences is inadequate. - Deleteriously, AMLO has refused to allow the independent selection of an autonomous attorney general. Focus on brutal crimes instead of drug trafficking groups and rejection of high-value targeting - The AMLO administration suspended focus on DTOs, drug trafficking, and high-value targeting of DTO leaders. Instead, it prioritizes "brutal crimes." But that strategy ignores the fact that key perpetrators of homicides, extortion, and robberies are DTOs. - Large law enforcement deployments to Tijuana and efforts to combat fuel theft have been interpreted by DTOs as direct confrontation. Instead, AMLO should prioritize targeting the most violent criminal groups, while deterring new outbreaks of violence. - The target should be the middle operational layer of a criminal group, seeking to disable the vast majority of the middle layer in one sweep, in order to reduce the group's regeneration capacity. - The Mexican government remains challenged in implementing such a policy by the continual lack of strategic and tactical intelligence in an ever more fragmented, mult-ipolar, and opaque criminal market, and by the continual corruption of Mexico's law enforcement apparatus. The National Guard -- - AMLO has not stopped using the Mexican military for domestic law enforcement. However, he has created a new structure combining military forces with Federal Police forces-The National Guard. - To be completed in three years, the National Guard is to be 150,000-strong. Sent initially to 17 areas with high homicide rates, the first contingent of 50,000 is to start functioning by April 2019. The head of the National Guard is a civilian, but much of the leadership is military....

Details: Washington, DC: Foreign Policy at Brookings Institute, 2019. 50p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 27, 2019 at: https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/FP_20190325_mexico_anti-crime.pdf

Year: 2019

Country: Mexico

URL: https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/FP_20190325_mexico_anti-crime.pdf

Shelf Number: 155191

Keywords:
Criminal Justice Policy
Criminal Justice System
Drug Trafficking
Homicides
National Security
Political Corruption
Public Safety
Security Forces
Violent Crimes

Author: Annan-Phan, Sebastien

Title: Hot Temperatures, Aggression, and Death at the Hands of the Police: Evidence from the U.S.

Summary: We study the effect of temperature on police-involved civilian deaths in the U.S. from 2000 to 2016. We show that violent crimes and assaulted or killed officers increase with warmer days (17 Degrees C and more), indicating an increased risk of personal harm on such days. Despite the higher threat level, temperatures have a precise null impact on the number of deaths via firearms, suggesting officers exercise judgment over their use of firearms independently of threat level. However, deaths from Tasers significantly increase during 'extremely warm' days (32 Degrees Celsius and more), indicating a need to reevaluate Taser-use policies to prevent unintended deaths.

Details: S.L.: 2019. 35p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 30, 2019 at: https://www.dropbox.com/s/vtokad56yf0uuag/Annan-Phan%20and%20Ba%20%282019%29.pdf?dl=0

Year: 2019

Country: United States

URL: https://www.dropbox.com/s/vtokad56yf0uuag/Annan-Phan%20and%20Ba%20%282019%29.pdf?dl=0

Shelf Number: 155251

Keywords:
Deaths by Firearms
Deaths by Tasers
Firearms Related Deaths
Officer Involved Fatalities
Officer Involved Shootings
Tasers
Violent Crimes
Weather

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