NCJ Number
85705
Journal
Federal Probation Volume: 46 Issue: 3 Dated: (September 1982) Pages: 3-7
Date Published
1982
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This study of 50 homicides in a New York City precinct noted for its high level of drug dealing found that 42 percent were drug-related, and the drug-related homicides more often involved firearms and younger male victims.
Abstract
In this study, 'drug-related' homicides include all homicides where persons are killed as a direct result of business disputes in the distribution of illegal drugs, including any victims slain in the confrontation with the targeted victim. New York's 46th police precinct, the subject of the study, is in the central Bronx and is heavily populated by low-income groups, mostly blacks and various kinds of Hispanics. Drug trafficking in the precinct has become an increasingly difficult law enforcement problem in recent years. For the first 9 months of 1981, there were 50 homicides in the 46th precinct. Forty-two percent were drug-related. The drug-related homicides were located in an area of high drug trafficking. All of the drug-related homicides were committed with firearms. Ninety-five percent of the drug-related homicide victims were male, and 95 percent of the victims were between the ages of 16 and 35. These findings suggest that by reducing drug trafficking, the overall homicide rate can be reduced. Further, by identifying the number of drug-related homicides, citizens may be somewhat relieved of the anxiety that the high homicide rate has increased the chances of an innocent citizen being murdered. Tabular data are provided.