Differences Between Sexual and Nonsexual Homicides of Women in the United States: Findings From the National Violent Death Reporting System

2022 ◽  
pp. 088626052110642
Author(s):  
Natasha F. De Veauuse Brown ◽  
Ashley E. N. Watson
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Reporting System ◽  
Secondary Analysis ◽  
The United States ◽  
Medical Examiner ◽  
Violent Death ◽  
Substance Abuse Problem ◽  
Sexual Homicide ◽  
Correctional Programs ◽  
System Data

Sexual homicide (SH) is the most severe outcome of sexual violence and disproportionately affects women. While SH is rare (<1% in the U.S.) and gravely understudied, it is among the most violent, feared, and well publicized forms of murder. Thus, examining predictors is pertinent to identifying targets for prevention and response efforts. Secondary analysis of 2015–2018 National Violent Death Reporting System data on 6461 female homicide victims age 20–64 was conducted to determine if SH represents a unique killing characterized by specific offender, victim, and incident profiles. Law enforcement and coroner/medical examiner narratives were reviewed to identify cases with sexual elements ( N=324). Logistic regression estimated odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals. Findings highlight important differences between SH and non-SH. SH victims were more likely to be single (AOR=1.7, p=.006), have a substance abuse problem (AOR=1.4, p=.04), or engaged in prostitution (AOR=10.4, p<.001). SH suspects were more likely to be male (AOR=2.5, p=.04), use an illicit substance in the preceding hours (AOR=1.6, p=.03), or had recent contact with police (AOR=1.6, p=.01). SH was more likely to occur in a hotel/motel (AOR=3.0, p=.002), by asphyxiation (AOR =13.38, p<.001), be perpetrated against an acquaintance (AOR=1.64, p=.007), or be precipitated by another serious crime (AOR=2.1, p<.001). Findings advance our understanding of SH victim, suspect, and incident profiles, which can help to better inform police/investigative practices and crime prevention strategies/interventions as well as to improve how SH cases are managed in correctional programs for offenders who have the opportunity for release back into society.

Characteristics of persons who die on their first suicide attempt: results from the National Violent Death Reporting System

2019 ◽  
Vol 50 (8) ◽  
pp. 1390-1397 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua T. Jordan ◽  
Dale E. McNiel
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Suicide Attempt ◽  
Reporting System ◽  
Significant Proportion ◽  
Medical Examiner ◽  
Violent Death ◽  
Legal Problem ◽  
History Of ◽  
Life Circumstances

AbstractBackgroundMuch of suicide research focuses on suicide attempt (SA) survivors. Given that more than half of the suicide decedent population dies on their first attempt, this means a significant proportion of the population that dies by suicide is overlooked in research. Little is known about persons who die by suicide on their first attempt–and characterizing this understudied population may improve efforts to identify more individuals at risk for suicide.MethodsData were derived from the National Violent Death Reporting System, from 2005 to 2013. Suicide cases were included if they were 18–89 years old, with a known circumstance leading to their death based on law enforcement and/or medical examiner reports. Decedents with and without a history of SA were compared on demographic, clinical, and suicide characteristics, and circumstances that contributed to their suicide.ResultsA total of 73 490 cases met criteria, and 57 920 (79%) died on their first SA. First attempt decedents were more likely to be male, married, African-American, and over 64. Demographic-adjusted models showed that first attempt decedents were more likely to use highly lethal methods, less likely to have a known mental health problem or to have disclosed their intent to others, and more likely to die in the context of physical health or criminal/legal problem.ConclusionsFirst attempt suicide decedents are demographically different from decedents with a history of SA, are more likely to use lethal methods and are more likely to die in the context of specific stressful life circumstances.

scholarly journals Examining differences between mass, multiple, and single-victim homicides to inform prevention: findings from the National Violent Death Reporting System

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine A. Fowler ◽  
Rachel A. Leavitt ◽  
Carter J. Betz ◽  
Keming Yuan ◽  
Linda L. Dahlberg
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Reporting System ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
The United States ◽  
Medical Examiner ◽  
Violent Death ◽  
Homicide Rates ◽  
Shared Risk ◽  
The U.S

Abstract Background Multi-victim homicides are a persistent public health problem confronting the United States. Previous research shows that homicide rates in the U.S. are approximately seven times higher than those of other high-income countries, driven by firearm homicide rates that are 25 times higher; 31% of public mass shootings in the world also occur in the U.S.. The purpose of this analysis is to examine the characteristics of mass, multiple, and single homicides to help identify prevention points that may lead to a reduction in different types of homicides. Methods We used all available years (2003–2017) and U.S. states/jurisdictions (35 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico) included in CDC’s National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS), a public health surveillance system which combines death certificate, coroner/medical examiner, and law enforcement reports into victim- and incident-level data on violent deaths. NVDRS includes up to 600 standard variables per incident; further information on types of mental illness among suspected perpetrators and incident resolution was qualitatively coded from case narratives. Data regarding number of persons nonfatally shot within incidents were cross-validated when possible with several other resources, including government reports and the Gun Violence Archive. Mass homicides (4+ victims), multiple homicides (2-3 victims) and single homicides were analyzed to assess group differences using Chi-square tests with Bonferroni-corrected post-hoc comparisons. Results Mass homicides more often had female, child, and non-Hispanic white victims than other homicide types. Compared with victims of other homicide types, victims of mass homicides were more often killed by strangers or someone else they did not know well, or by family members. More than a third were related to intimate partner violence. Approximately one-third of mass homicide perpetrators had suicidal thoughts/behaviors noted in the time leading up to the incident. Multi-victim homicides were more often perpetrated with semi-automatic firearms than single homicides. When accounting for nonfatally shot victims, over 4 times as many incidents could have resulted in mass homicide. Conclusions These findings underscore the important interconnections among multiple forms of violence. Primary prevention strategies addressing shared risk and protective factors are key to reducing these incidents.

Integrating Medical Examiner and Police Report Data

Crisis ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 160-168 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian W. Ward ◽  
Ryan T. Shields ◽  
Bert R. Cramer
Keyword(s):  
Reporting System ◽  
Strong Relationship ◽  
The United States ◽  
Medical Examiner ◽  
Public Health Issue ◽  
Violent Death ◽  
The Social ◽  
Police Report ◽  
Report Data ◽  
Reported Data

Background: Recently, suicide in the United States has begun to be viewed as a preventable public health issue. This has led to the creation of a National Violent Death Reporting System that collects and integrates data on the social circumstances surrounding suicides. Aims: The study examines data on social circumstances surrounding suicides as collected by the medical examiner report (ME) and police report (PR) and subsequently integrated into the state of Maryland’s violent death reporting system. Methods: Reported data on social circumstances surrounding suicides occurring in the years 2003–2006 in Maryland (n = 1,476) were analyzed by examining their prevalence in the ME and PR, strength of association, and integration. Results: With the exception of three circumstances, there was variation among reported circumstances in the ME and PR. Furthermore, there was only a moderately strong relationship between the ME and PR for most circumstances, while a significant increase occurred in the prevalence of these circumstances when ME and PR were integrated. Conclusions: The integration of ME and PR has the potential to increase our knowledge of the circumstances surrounding suicide and to better inform prevention efforts. However, before this potential can be reached, there are still issues that must be considered.

Pregnant Victims of Intimate Partner Homicide in the National Violent Death Reporting System Database, 2003–2014: A Descriptive Analysis

2020 ◽  
pp. 088626052094372
Author(s):  
Penelope K. Morrison ◽  
Chelsea Pallatino ◽  
Rachel A. Fusco ◽  
Tanya Kenkre ◽  
Judy Chang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
United States ◽  
Reporting System ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
The United States ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
Violent Death ◽  
Intimate Partner Homicide ◽  
Service Engagement ◽  
History Of

Intimate partner homicide (IPH) is a leading cause of maternal mortality in the United States. However, very little information exists as to the circumstantial factors associated with IPH during pregnancy. We conducted a descriptive study of the demographic characteristics, psychosocial service engagement, and crises experiences (i.e., life and relationship stressors) among pregnant and nonpregnant victims to understand what differences, if any, exist in their risk profile for IPH. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS) were used for this study. The NVDRS is a national opt-in tracking system of all violent deaths in the United States. Pregnant victims ( N = 293) were significantly more likely to be 5 years younger than nonpregnant victims, African American, and never married. Pregnant victims were more likely to be seen in the emergency room following the fatal incident. Nonpregnant victims ( N = 2,089) were significantly more likely to have suspected alcohol use at the time of their death. In strictly proportional terms, we also observed higher rates of mental health problems, a history of mental health treatment, and a reported history of intimate partner violence (IPV), crisis, or family problems among nonpregnant victims. A wider range of IPH-related risk factors (e.g. substance abuse) need to be included IPV assessments. Future studies should seek to develop effective interventions to prevent IPH, particularly among reproductive aged women.

Descriptive Epidemiology of Homicides With Victim and Suspect Race or Hispanic Ethnicity Discordance in the United States: Analysis of National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS) 2005-2015

2019 ◽  
pp. 088626051986165
Author(s):  
Cara L. Frankenfeld ◽  
Timothy F. Leslie
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Race And Ethnicity ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Reporting System ◽  
National Level ◽  
The United States ◽  
Romantic Partners ◽  
Violent Death ◽  
Hispanic Ethnicity ◽  
Race Ethnicity

Cross-racial violence is a high-profile issue in the United States; however, there is little empirical research on the epidemiology of cross-racial homicides. The objective of this work was to use national-level data to evaluate the characteristics of homicides in which the victim and suspect are of the same or different race or Hispanic ethnicity. Victims and suspects from National Violent Death Reporting System data (2005-2015) were classified into seven-categories on the basis of race/ethnicity (six non-Hispanic races or Hispanic ethnicity), and 51,454 homicide events were classified as concordant (same race or ethnicity), discordant (different race or ethnicity), or unknown (missing race or ethnicity or no suspect information). While discordancy was observed to be similar across all race and ethnicity groups, it was less likely with relatives, romantic partners, and relatives of romantic partners; less likely to occur at home; less likely to occur in intimate partner violence–related homicides; less likely when the homicide was preceded by an argument over money or property; less likely when the homicide was associated with a family problem; more likely among rival gangs and strangers than other known person relationships; and more likely with drug-involved homicides. There were differences for victims of non-Hispanic Black race. Notably, discordance was more likely for justifiable self-defense and more likely with victim having used a weapon. These results suggest that discordant homicides may follow patterns of peer groups and close relationships in society regardless of victim race/ethnicity, that is, individuals may form closer relationships with individuals of the same race/ethnicity.

A Comparison of Law Enforcement and Medical Examiner Reports in a Violent-Death Surveillance System

2008 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 249-263 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lee Anne Gabor ◽  
Andrea Genovesi ◽  
Gitte Y. Larsen ◽  
Lynne Fullerton-Gleason ◽  
Anna Davis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Surveillance System ◽  
Medical Examiner ◽  
Violent Death
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