NCJ Number
175102
Journal
International Review of Victimology Volume: 4 Issue: 4 Dated: 1997 Pages: 313-326
Date Published
1997
Length
14 pages
Annotation
This article evaluates the United States' and other developed countries' rates of child homicide.
Abstract
Previous research has found that the United States has had atypically high rates of child homicide. The paper evaluates this and other findings using late 1980s data for 24 developed countries under current cause of death categories and also includes the 5- to 14-year-old age group. The United States continues to have high homicide rates for the entire span of childhood. New Zealand also ranks high. Comparatively, in both countries male infants and females 1-4 years face greater risks of homicide, which is a major cause of death in certain age groups. The article raises the possibility of reporting artifacts, and discusses related issues empirically and using recent conceptual clarifications regarding family involvement and child abuse. The study raises questions that need study and explanation, including: (1) the reasons why homicide continues to be a major cause of childhood death in the United States; (2) the different development and interaction patterns which characterize children and their parents/guardians; and (3) whether child homicide is an extreme form in the continuum of child abuse or a distinct form of lethal violence. Tables, references