HOMICIDE IN DADE COUNTY (FL)

• NCJ Number: 68475
• Author(s): W WILBANKS; L S MARKS
• Date Published: Unknown
• Length: 10 pages
• Publication Format: Document
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

SUMMARY DATA FOR A GIVEN YEAR IN DADE COUNTY, FLA., REFLECTING ALL FATAL INJURIES RESULTING IN THE DEATH OF THE VICTIM IN THE SAME YEAR AND CLASSIFIED BY THE LOCAL MEDICAL EXAMINER AS HOMICIDE, ARE ANALYZED.

Abstract

THE PURPOSE OF ANALYZING HOMICIDE FIGURES FOR 1974 IN DADE COUNTY, AS STATED IN THIS ARTICLE BY A FLORIDA CRIMINAL JUSTICE OFFICIAL, IS TO COMPARE THE CRIME CONFIGURATION EMERGING FROM SUCH DATA TO PUBLIC MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT HOMICIDE. CHIEFLY BECAUSE OF THE MEDIA COVERAGE OF SENSATIONAL HOMICIDE AND MURDER CASES, EMPHASIZED OUT OF ALL PROPORTION TO THEIR ACTUAL INCIDENCE, THE AMERICAN PUBLIC HAS AN EXAGGERATED PERCEPTION OF HOMICIDE AS A PERSONAL THREAT. USING THE FORMAT OF TWENTY POPULAR MISCONCEPTIONS WHICH ARE DENIED AND DISCUSSED INDIVIDUALLY, THIS ARTICLE ATTEMPTS TO GIVE AN ACCURATE PICTURE OF HOMICIDE IN DADE COUNTY IN 1974. A CHART GIVING THE NUMBER OF 1974 HOMICIDES IN DADE COUNTY, CLASSIFIED ACCORDING TO THEIR TYPE AND CASE DISPOSITION, IS PROVIDED IN THE TEXT AND USED AS A BASIS FOR DISCUSSION. THE FOLLOWING STATEMENTS ARE PRESENTED IN THE ARTICLE TO CORRECT SOME OF THE MISCONCEPTIONS: THE MIAMI METROPOLITAN AREA DOES NOT HAVE THE HIGHEST HOMICIDE RATE IN THE UNITED STATES; MOST HOMICIDES ARE NOT COMMITTED BY STRANGERS; AND STREETS ARE NOT THE MOST LIKELY HOMICIDE SETTINGS, MEMBERS OF MOST ETHNIC GROUPS ARE MORE LIKELY TO BE VICTIMIZED BY MEMBERS OF THEIR OWN RACE OR NATIONALITY. ELDERLY PEOPLE IN DADE COUNTY HAVE A LOWER MUDER VICTIMIZATION RATE THAN YOUNGER AGE GROUPS. VICTIM CRIME PRECIPITATION OCCURRED IN MOST HOMICIDE CASES IN DADE COUNTY. ONLY 6 PERCENT OF THE 211 KNOWN HOMICIDE OFFENDERS WERE JUVENILES. THE DADE COUNTY POLICE SOLVED 76 OF ALL HOMICIDES COMMITTED IN 1974: 58 PERCENT OF THE OFFENDERS WERE CONVICTED AFTER A GUILTY PLEA AND ONLY 42 PERCENT AFTER A JURY TRIAL (CONTRARY TO THE IMPRESSION GIVEN BY TELEVISION SHOWS). BLACKS DID NOT RECEIVE MORE SEVERE SENTENCES THAN WHITES. THE LIST OF QUESTIONS, PUBLISHED IN THE MIAMI HERALD, IS APPENDED.