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Analysis of Intimate Partner Homicides in Massachusetts: An Overview of Supplementary Homicide Report Cases Between 1986 and 2007

NCJ Number
240430
Author(s)
Shelley Penman
Date Published
April 2009
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This report presents detailed findings on the 47 intimate partner (IP) homicide surveys returned to Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security (EOPSS) by the District Attorneys.
Abstract
Results show that according to Supplementary Homicide Report (SHR) statistics, there were 375 intimate partner homicides in Massachusetts between 1986 and 2007. The number of intimate partner homicides fluctuated considerably over the years reaching a high in 1995 and a low in 2001. There were 24 intimate partner homicides in 2007, a 100 percent increase from the previous year. The average number of intimate partner homicides per year was 17. Data for analysis used SHR data which was collected through the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program as well as information voluntarily submitted to the Massachusetts State Police, Crime Reporting Unit by local police agencies as of August 2008. Information used during analysis includes data on the age, sex, and race of both the homicide victim and the offender; the relationship of the victim to the offender; the type of weapon used in the offense; and the circumstance and location of the incident. For the purposes of this report, cases were categorized as "intimate partner homicides" if the victim/offender relationship was coded as: husband/wife, boyfriend/girlfriend, ex-husband/ex-wife, common-law husband/wife, or homosexual relationship. Tables, figures, and maps