CHAPTER 4: Interpersonal Violence

Some factoids on COSTS Of crime/interpersonal violence:

Latest data (from 1995, complete):

1. Crime is DOWN for the fourth straight year (a continuing
trend):

  --dipped by two percent
  --murder dropped 8 pct (but still up among kids)
  --only larceny-theft increased (1 percent)

   Why?  1) Some incapacitation (but marginal) of repeat criminals
         2) Community Policy
         3) Neighborhood "cleanups" and "watches"
         4) Demographic shifts (fewer high-risk youth)
            (This is considered the most significant by many)

2. Costs of crime (street crime) are over $450 BILLION! in '95

   --Child abuse and domestic violence account for almost
    one-third of this!

  --Violent crime (including domestic violence, drunken driving,
    rape, assaults, arson) account for about $425 Billion

  --Violent crime makes up about 3 percent of US Medical spending

  --About 10-20 percent of mental health care expenses attributable
    to crime (primarily victimizations)

Although violent crime is a problem, is makes up a small
percentage of ALL crime.  Murder is the most extreme and dramatic:

MURDER: The WILLFUL (non-negligent) killing of one human being
by another. In 1992, almost 24,000 murders.

   A 1-percent decrease in serious crime was reported by the
   Nation's law enforcement agencies in the first six months of
   1995, according to preliminary Uniform Crime Reporting figures
   released today by the FBI.


   "While these preliminary figures are consistent with the
   recent modest decreases in the overall crime rate, violent
   crime remains at an intolerable level," FBI Director Louis J.
   Freeh said. "Even more disturbing, violent crime involving
   young people, both as perpetrators and victims, is on the
   rise--an alarming indicator of future trends.  The number of
   juveniles arrested for weapons offenses has skyrocketed--more
   than doubled--over the past decade."

   Freeh added, "It remains our great task to reduce this
   willingness of all too many of our youth to commit
   violence--or the challenges faced by law enforcement will be
   unprecedented."

   An Index of violent and property crimes is used to measure
   serious crime. Violent crime was down 5 percent in the first
   half of 1995, while property crime showed no change.

   In the violent crime category, murder dropped 12 percent;
   forcible rape, 7 percent; robbery, 10 percent; and aggravated
   assault, 2 percent. Among the property crimes measured,
   burglary decreased 4 percent; motor vehicle theft, 5 percent;
   and arson, 7 percent.  Larceny-theft was the only offense to
   show an increase, 3 percent.

   Serious crime decreased in three of the geographic regions.
   The declines were 2 percent in the Northeast and South and 1
   percent in the Midwest. In the West, crime increased 2
   percent.

   When grouped by population size, cities with over a million
   inhabitants and cities ranging from 50,000 to 499,999
   experienced decreases in the first half of 1995. Cities with
   populations over 1 million recorded the greatest decline in
   serious crime, 6 percent. For the same time period, the
   suburban counties showed no change in their crime level, while
   the rural counties reported a 3-percent increase.

Text notes an interesting fact: Murder rates related to CITY
SIZE, but NOT to POPULATION GROWTH. WHY?? They say it's
the RELATIVE SIZE to its contemporary society. Cities have
always had larger murder rates than the average because they
have been more urban than their national environments.
((ASK: WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? IS IT CLEAR?))

Most murderers are known to their victim: 47 pct involved
family members, frends, neighbors, and acquaintances.
14 pct involved strangers.

Types:

  1) Professional murderers
  2) Serial Murders (over time)
  3) Mass murders (lots at once)

Do we have a culture of violence?
   1) 50 pct of households possess a fire arm
   2) a quarter possess a handgun

HATE CRIMES

(see text)