NCJ Number
196383
Date Published
2002
Length
261 pages
Annotation
This book explores the crime of murder in American society.
Abstract
Homicides involving intimate partners, intrafamilial, youth, sex, single victims, and those influenced by drug and alcohol abuse are common. Representing only a fraction of homicides is mass murder such as school shootings, workplace homicides, and terrorist acts. This book probes the nature and causes of murder, the relationship between firearms and lethal violence, the criminal justice system and homicide offenders, different types of murders and murderers, antecedents and correlates to homicidal and violent behavior, and a theoretical basis for murder. Part I focuses on the dynamics of murder including its nature; guns, substance abuse, and murder; and murder offending and the criminal justice system. Part II discusses domestic murder such as intimate homicide, infanticide, patricide, and other family involved homicides. Part III explores the aspects of interpersonal and societal murder crimes including workplace homicides, bias-motivated homicides, and terrorism and murder. Part IV examines youth and murder including youth gangs and homicide and school killings. In Part V, categories of killers are examined, including sexual killers, serial killers, mass murderers, and self-killers. Part VI outlines the theories on murder, which include classical, positivistic, biological, psychological, sociological-cultural, and critical. 35 figures, 38 tables, 350 references, index