Transcript Chapter 4 - Fall Classes

Deviance 10e
Alex Thio
Chapter Four:
Physical Violence
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Introduction
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Myths cloud our understanding of physical
violence
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E.g. African Americans are more likely to kill
whites and that women kill their husbands due
to infidelity
Terrorism now accounts for much
violence, especially in Israel and London
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Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2010
Assault and Aggravated Assault
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Assault: unlawful use of physical force against
another person
Aggravated assault involves intent to kill or the
use of a deadly weapon, where the victim
survives rather than dies
Assaulters are less likely than murderers to use
firearms
Assault rises dramatically during the summer
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Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2010
Who is More Likely to Kill?
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Over 90% of murderers in the U.S. are in
the lower classes
While making up 12% of the general
population, blacks account for 45% of the
murders
Most killings are INTRA-racial
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Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2010
Who is More Likely to Kill? – cont.
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Southern region has the highest rate (10 per 100,000)
Large cities have a significantly higher murder rate than
small cities/rural areas
More men than women kill, and kill other men
Women usually kill in defense of themselves in an
abusive relationship
Both male and female murderers are relatively young
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highest murder rate is aged 15-19 for males and aged 20-24 for
females
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Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2010
TABLE 4.1 How Urban and Rural
Murder Rates Differ
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Who is More Likely to Kill? – cont.
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Today, the overall murder rate in the United
States is lower than it was in the mid- 1980s
Since 1985 murders committed by teenagers
are on the rise
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Reasons: many inner-city teenagers carry guns to
protect themselves, availability of guns, dysfunctional
families, drugs, the declining quality of public schools,
and increased violence on TV and in the movies.
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Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2010
Patterns of Killing
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Fewer murders occur during fall and
spring, and more during July and August;
they also peak during December
Saturday night is the time of week murders
most often occur.
Higher class murders, though, are more
premeditated and show no variation by
time of year or week
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Patterns of Killing – cont.
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Men commit murders inside and outside the house
Women almost exclusively kill in their own homes,
especially in the kitchen
If guns were less available, many heated arguments
would result in aggravated assaults rather than murders
In America, over 10,000 handgun homicides occur each
year
In other industrialized nations such as Canada, England,
and Japan, where guns are much harder to get, the
number is less than 100
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Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2010
Characteristics of Homicide
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Of all crimes, homicide is least likely to
involve strangers (less than 20%)
In 1 of 4 homicides the victim first attacks
his subsequent slayer (victim-precipitated
homicide)
most homicides result from a "character
contest" among lower-class
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Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2010
Characteristics of Homicide – cont.
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Homicide-suicide offenders first kill another person
and then themselves
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Mass murder: killing a number of people at about
the same time and place
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Sociologists see suicide as remorse
Psychologists see suicide as psychosis
Offenders usually die by their own hands or the hands of
the police
Serial murder: involves killing a number of people
one at a time.
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Most murder in one city, plan what they do, stalk their
victims, and lure them into traps
Often suffered abuse while children and cannot feel
remorse for hurting others.
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Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2010
Figure 4.1 Most Victims Know Their
Killers
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Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2010
The Social Profile of Serial Killers
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Most serial killers:
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Usually seem like ordinary people
Are typically blue collar workers
Are usually white men in their late 20s or 30s
Are typically motivated by an intense desire
for power and sadism
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Global Perspective: Homicide
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Homicide rates are higher in developing
countries
Latin America has the highest homicide rate in
the world – characteristic of “machismo culture”
in the highly patriarchal societies such as the
Middle East, women are likely to fall victim to
“honor killings” by their male relatives
The U.S. has the highest homicide rate among
developed countries
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Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2010
School Violence
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School violence is attributed, in part, to the
availability of guns, media violence, and a
culture of violence
Offenders are highly likely to be those
rejected by parents and peers
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Stalking
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Stalking: act of pursuing someone that
creates the fear of being assaulted or
killed
Most stalkers know their victims
Most cases are men stalking women
No racial differences
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Hate Killing
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9,000 Americans per year experience hate
crimes
African Americans and gays are the most likely
victims
Most hate killers are part of hate groups, which
are often formed in prison
Three types of hate killers:
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thrill hate killers
defensive hate killers
mission hate killers
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Genocide
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Genocide: whole-scale killing of a racial or
ethnic group
Perpetrators have a job of killing others
under orders
Bystanders are average citizens who
usually do nothing
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Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2010
Genocide – cont.
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Theories of genocide:
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physical or psychological separation between
perpetrators and victims
dehumanization of victims
obedience to authority when asked
psychological ability to dissociate from the insanity of
killing
Power – The more power that a government has, the
greater its ability to carry out killing on a large scale
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Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2010
Terrorism
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Terrorism: violence intended for a government but
victims are usually innocent citizens
 e.g. Timothy McVeigh, al Qaeda
The suicide attacks of 9/11 were said to be waged
against “the Great Satan” or the U.S., as part of a holy
war
The U.S. has obtained assistance from friendly Muslin
countries, such as Saudi Arabia and Pakistan
Following 9/11, most Muslim nations express less
support for terrorism than in the past
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Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2010
Why Do People Kill?
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Two popular theories:
external restraint theory: tries to explain
how the presence or absence of
restraints controls the expression of
frustration
subculture of violence: basic cause of
high homicide rates in poor
neighborhoods
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Does the Death Penalty Deter
Murder?
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The death penalty is not very effective in
deterring murder
However, it does prevent the offender
from committing further crime
And satisfies the societal cry for
retribution
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Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2010