NCJ Number
173720
Journal
Homicide Studies Volume: 2 Issue: 3 Dated: August 1998 Pages: 321-339
Date Published
1998
Length
19 pages
Annotation
Juvenile homicides that took place in Houston during 1990-94 were studied with respect to their demographic characteristics, victim-offender relationships, and spatial distribution.
Abstract
The research followed the example of Wolfgang in the 1958 report Patterns of Criminal Homicide and studied the roles of juveniles as victims and offenders in Houston homicide during a period in which gangs, drugs, and guns have provided an unprecedented nexus for incidents of youth violence. The research also compared the characteristics of juvenile homicide with those in which adults are the offenders or victims. The study included youths age 17 years or younger, although Texas considers 17-year-olds to be adults for adjudication purposes. The information came from the Houston Police Department and all homicide-related stories printed in the Houston Chronicle newspaper during the study period. Results revealed both similarities and differences with Wolfgang's homicide profile for Philadelphia at midcentury. The overall risk of homicide victimization or offending in Houston during the first 17 years of life was about one-fourth that of adults for the remainder of the life span. However, this risk varied significantly by race and ethnicity. In addition, gang-related killing was a relatively small proportion of all juvenile homicide offending. In addition, juveniles were more likely than adults to use firearms, commit homicide in public and outdoor locations, and engage in lethal violence in relation to other felony offending. Tables, map, and 17 references