Contents
Legal concepts and statistics
The real picture of the murders committed in American cities is undoubtedly different from the one painted by the authors of crime novels. The heroes of books, motivated either by passion or cold-blooded calculation, usually calculate their every step to achieve their goal. The quotation in the spirit of fiction tells us that many criminals expect to gain (perhaps through robbery or selling drugs), but immediately indicates that sometimes people kill for the most insignificant reasons: “because of clothing, a small amount of money … and for no apparent reason.” Are we able to understand such different reasons for the murders? Why does one person take another’s life? See →
Various cases of provoking murders
Killing a familiar person is in many cases different from killing a random stranger; most often it is the result of an explosion of emotions due to a quarrel or interpersonal conflict. The probability of taking the life of a person who is seen for the first time in life is highest in the course of a burglary, armed robbery, car theft or drug dealing. In this case, the death of the victim is not the main goal, it is more or less an auxiliary action in the course of achieving other goals. Thus, the alleged increase in murders of people unknown to the perpetrator may mean an increase in the number of «derivative» or «collateral» murders. See →
Conditions under which killings are committed
The main challenge facing modern society is to understand and use the statistics I have discussed in this chapter. A separate study requires the question of why America has such a high percentage of blacks and low-income killers. Is such a crime the result of a bitter reaction to poverty and discrimination? If so, what other social factors influence it? What social factors influence the likelihood of one person committing physical violence against another? What role do personality traits play? Do killers really have certain characteristics that increase the chances that they will take the life of another person — for example, in a fit of rage? See →
Personal predisposition
Years ago, a former superintendent of a well-known correctional facility wrote a popular book about how incarcerated murderers worked as servants in his family’s house on the prison grounds. He assured readers that these people were not dangerous. Most likely, they committed the murder under the influence of increased stressful circumstances that they could not control. It was a one-time outburst of violence. After their lives began to flow in a more calm and peaceful environment, the likelihood that they would again resort to violence was very small. Such a portrait of the killers is reassuring. However, the description of the author of the book of prisoners known to him most often does not suit people who deliberately take the life of another person. See →
The greatest progress in the fight against brutality and violence in America can be achieved by taking effective measures to improve the living conditions of families and communities in cities, especially for the poor living in the slums of their ghettos. It is these impoverished ghettos that give rise to cruel crimes.
To be a poor young man; not have a good education and the means to escape from an oppressive environment; desire to acquire the rights provided by society (and available to others); to see how others illegally, and often cruelly, act to achieve material goals; to observe the impunity of these actions — all this becomes a heavy burden and exerts an abnormal influence that pushes many to crimes and delinquencies. See →
Influence of subculture, common norms and values
The decline in business activity led to an increase in murders committed by whites, and even more suicides among them. Apparently, economic difficulties not only increased the aggressive inclinations of whites to some extent, but also formed in many of them self-accusations of the financial problems that arose.
Conversely, a downturn in business activity led to a decrease in black homicide rates and had a relatively small effect on suicide rates in that racial group. Couldn’t it be that poor blacks saw less difference between their position and that of others when times were hard? See →
Interactions in the commission of violence
So far, we have considered only the general picture of murder cases. I have identified various factors that influence the likelihood that a person will knowingly take another’s life. But before this happens, the potential perpetrator must face the one who will become the victim, and these two individuals must enter into an interaction that will lead to the death of the victim. In this section, we turn to the nature of this interaction. See →
Summary
In considering homicide in America, which has the highest rate of homicide among technologically advanced nations, this chapter provides a brief overview of the critical factors that lead to the deliberate killing of one person by another. While much attention is paid to the role of violent individuals, the analysis does not include consideration of more serious mental disorders or serial killers. See →
Part 4. Controlling Aggression
Chapter 10
There is no need to repeat the grim statistics. The sad fact for everyone is quite obvious: violent crimes are invariably becoming more frequent. How can a society reduce the appalling number of cases of violence that worries them so much? What can we — government, police, citizens, parents and caregivers, all of us together — do to make our social world better, or at least safer? See →