Women as Victims or Perpetrators of Homicide

• NCJ Number: 114189
• Date Published: 1986
• Author(s): A Browner; R Flewelling
• Length: 21 pages
• Grant Number(s): 85-IJ-CX-0030
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)

Annotation

This study describes situational characteristics of women's involvement in criminal homicide, especially regarding departures from the overall patterns, based on 82,997 one-on-one criminal homicide events as reported by the Uniform Crime Report's Supplementary Homicide Report for 1980-84.

Abstract

Findings indicate that women are much more at risk of homicide victimization from a male partner than from other family members or from all other categories of extramarital relationships combined. Men are much more likely to be killed by acquaintances or strangers. Women are much more likely to kill their male partner than to kill other family members, acquaintances, or strangers; whereas, men kill strangers as often as wives and are the most likely to kill their acquaintances. The premise that a substantial proportion of female-perpetrated homicide against partners constitutes reactive violence by women to their partner's abuse is supported not only by the high proportion of women's victimization by male partners and female-perpetrated homicide against their partners, but also by the low percentage of homicides perpetrated by women outside the couple relationship. These findings confirm those from research on more localized or nonrandom samples. 6 notes, 27 references, 7 tables.