Homicide Policy and Program Analysis: Understanding and Coping in Local Government

• NCJ Number: 111802
• Author(s): D J Farmer; J E Hooker
• Date Published: 1987
• Length: 8 pages
• Corporate Author: Virginia Commonwealth University
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/; Virginia Commonwealth University; NCJRS Photocopy Services
• Publication Type: Research (Theoretical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Center for Public Affairs Commonwealth Paper, 1987

Annotation

An index of homicide policy is proposed that can be used by local governments to evaluate their crime control policies.

Abstract

The index identifies three policy levels -- optimal, developing, and undeveloped -- for three areas of scope -programmatic, personnel, and technical. Programmatic scope refers to the breadth of the homicide control program. At the minimal level, a police agency's program involves mainly attempting to solve murders, at the next level, the policy includes a significant amount of homicide prevention activity. At the optimal level, police approach homicide on a problem-focused basis. Personnel scope refers to the character of program staff. Personnel involved may be specialists only, specialist and generalist staff who work closely together, or a combination of departmental and extradepartmental (including community) involvement. Finally, technical scope may range from staff with 'street smarts' to that with formal, specialized training, or may, at the optimal level, include homicide management through a system of natural experimentation and program monitoring. Application of this index to a middle-sized and a large community indicated that both police agencies were functioning at the undeveloped level and suggested significant opportunities for program improvement in all three areas. 40 references.