NCJ Number
101702
Journal
Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology Volume: 76 Issue: 2 Dated: (Summer 1985) Pages: 480-489
Date Published
1985
Length
10 pages
Annotation
An analysis of Uniform Crime Report (UCR) and Supplementary Homicide Report data from 52 of the Nation's largest cities during the 1968-1983 period finds little support for popular fears that there is a new breed of street criminals who cause more serious injuries and deaths in robberies.
Abstract
All types of criminal homicide increased rapidly from 1968 until the mid-1970's, reached a still higher peak in 1980, and have fallen off since then. The proportions of nontraditional homicide, those thought to be felony-related, and robbery murder remained fairly stable throughout the period. Statistics suggest that the propensity of robbers to kill their victims increased in the early 1970's and declined in the early 1980's, although this conclusion may be challenged due to homicide classification problems and underreporting by victims. In summary, robbery murders as a percentage of both total homicides and total robberies were increasing before 1973, but not thereafter. A substantial reduction in the robbery murder-robbery ratio occurred in 1981, and the trend has continued. Graphs and 19 references.