Reassessing the Situational Covariates of Homicides: Is There a Need To Disaggregate?
Annotation: This study examined the situational covariates of four homicide types--domestic, drug, robbery, and interpersonal dispute--that occurred in Newark, NJ, from 1997 through 2005.
Abstract:
Findings show that each homicide type had distinctive situational covariates that were related to the nature of the incidents. For example, the situational covariates of domestic homicides differed from those of other homicide types in incident location, the use of guns, the number of suspects, and the characteristics of victims and suspects. Drug-related homicides differed from other homicide types in their occurrence in public housing complexes during weekdays, the use of guns, and the lack of alcohol or drug impairment by victims and suspects. Dispute homicides, on the other hand, were distinct from the other types regarding the variables of drug and alcohol impairment, victim-offender relationship, their prevalence during weekends, and the race of victims. Robbery homicides differed from the other types primarily in victim-offender relationship,...