NCJ Number
96549
Date Published
1983
Length
89 pages
Annotation
This report provides an overview of the crime of homicide and its victims, supplies information on persons arrested for murder, and notes the system's response to homicide by type of disposition and sentence given.
Abstract
The number of willful homicides in California decreased from 3,405 in 1980 to 2,640 in 1983; more victims were killed at their homes than at any other location. Of the 3,440 persons arrested for murder in 1983, 17.1 percent were convicted of murder; 43.3 percent were convicted of other offenses; and 39.6 percent were released, dismissed, or acquitted. A total of 34 persons convicted of first degree murder were sentenced to death. Finally, California's homicide rate of 14.5 percent is slightly higher than the national rate of 10.2 percent. Six tables and 19 charts illustrate data on willful homicides, and national and international homicide. An additional 76 tables present raw and analyzed data.