NCJ Number
137110
Journal
Journal of Crime and Justice Volume: 14 Issue: 2 Dated: (1991) Pages: 71-95
Date Published
1991
Length
25 pages
Annotation
Based on Marvin Wolfgang's Patterns in Criminal Homicide, this paper compares, from a cross-national perspective, similarities and differences in the patterns of homicide in Philadelphia (1948-1952) and Stockholm, Sweden (1951-1959). The paper also discusses changes in the Stockholm homicide trend between 1951 and 1987.
Abstract
The basic question which emerges from the cross- national comparison is why homicide is so much more prevalent in Philadelphia than in Stockholm. In particular, three trends stand out: the high rates of blacks killing blacks; of inter-male killings; and of homicides involving weapons, usually guns or knives. Murderers in Philadelphia tend to be younger and have a longer criminal history, and more criminal homicides occur within circles of friends and acquaintances in Philadelphia than in Stockholm. A final factor that appears in the comparison is the relationship between slums and criminal homicide, a factor which Wolfgang does not discuss. Between 1951 and 1987, family homicides in Stockholm peaked in the late 1960's and early 1970's. Non- family homicides in residences was the single context with the greatest increase over the reporting period. Homicides in public places showed only a weak increase over the period, peaking in the late 1970's. 2 tables, 10 figures, 6 notes, and 17 references