NCJ Number
235350
Journal
Journal of Family Violence Volume: 26 Issue: 5 Dated: July 2011 Pages: 365-376
Date Published
July 2011
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This study compared differences in intimate partner homicides and "other" homicides.
Abstract
A large body of research has identified strong and consistent correlates of aggregated intimate homicide incidents; however, the bulk of these studies focus on the influence of either case or neighborhood characteristics on homicide types, but not both. This study examines data collected from 739 homicides in 2 distinct metropolitan cities to determine which factors differentiate intimate and non-intimate homicide. Findings reveal that intimate partner homicides (IPH) are more likely to involve females both as victims and offenders when compared to non-IPH incidents. In addition, IPH homicides are more likely to be committed with weapons than non-IPH, but this finding only appears in Indianapolis homicides. Indeed, one of the stark contrasts between Indianapolis and Newark was the much greater prevalence of firearms involved in IPH homicides in Indianapolis. This suggests the need for future research that sorts out patterns of household gun possession, factors influencing community levels of household gun possession, and the use of legally- or illegally-possessed firearms in IPH homicide. (Published Abstract)