NCJ Number
150341
Date Published
1994
Length
8 pages
Annotation
Data on homicide rates in New South Wales (NSW) are provided with respect to gender and age of both offenders and victims, relationships between victims and suspects, child victims, and homicide incident characteristics.
Abstract
Between 1968 and 1992, 2,321 homicide incidents involving 2,544 victims occurred in NSW. No significant upward or downward trends in homicide rates were observed over the period. The annual homicide rate remained stable, varying between 1.3 and 2.3 homicide incidents per 100,000 population. Most homicide incidents involved only one victim. Suspects were predominantly male; the homicide rate for female offenders was never more than 1 per 100,000 population, while the rate for male offenders varied between 2.3 and 4.2 per 100,000 population. Suspects were disproportionately young; over half were between 15 and 34 years of age. Male suspects were more likely to be single or divorced, while female suspects were more likely to be married or in a de facto relationship. Although most homicide victims were male (62.5 percent), the percentage of female victims was large (37.3 percent). The highest proportion of victims was between 20 and 29 years of age. The most frequent pattern of suspect-victim incidence was male-male, followed by male-female, female-male, and female- female. Of child victims, 81.2 percent were killed by a family member, 13.8 percent by an acquaintance, and 4.6 percent by a stranger. Homicides were more likely to occur on a Saturday than any other day of the week. Most homicides occurred at the victim's home, which was often the suspect's home as well. Methods used to commit homicides varied extensively and included stabbing, shooting, strangling, bashing, and poisoning. Only 10.1 percent of homicide incidents over the 1968-1992 period were not solved. 25 notes and 17 figures