NCJ Number
240158
Journal
British Journal of Criminology Volume: 52 Issue: 5 Dated: September 2012 Pages: 870-888
Date Published
September 2012
Length
19 pages
Annotation
This study examined the degree to which drug and alcohol intoxication contributes to homicide rates in the United Kingdom.
Abstract
This article presents a context-specific analysis of intoxication and homicide. Substantial proportions of homicides involve alcohol and/or drug intoxication, yet this remains an under-researched phenomenon in the United Kingdom. The article draws upon ESRC-funded research incorporating three sources of data: Homicide Index data for 1995-2005; police homicide files; and interviews with convicted homicide offenders. This dataset provides a unique insight into this complex phenomenon and demonstrates the value of integrating multiple sources of data. The findings highlight under-reporting of intoxication-related homicide in official statistics and indicate that intoxication in isolation is insufficient in explaining the co-occurrence of alcohol, drugs and homicide. Intoxication appears to interact with the immediate and background context of events to produce a lethal outcome. (Published Abstract)