Do Incident-Level and Neighborhood-Level Factors Differ across Intimate and Non-Intimate Partner Homicide in San Diego?

• In Event: Conceptualizing Intimate Partner Homicide

Abstract

Literature often finds that there are strong and consistent factors related to incidents of intimate partner homicide. These studies typically focus on how either incident-level characteristics or neighborhood-level characteristics differ across intimate and non-intimate partner homicide. The literature that does explore both incident-and-neighborhood determinants is very limited. In an attempt to bridge this gap, this study examines individual cases of homicide obtained from official police report data from San Diego, CA (1995-2005). The data were then merged to tract-level 2000 US census data in order to link both incident and neighborhood variables. Using logistic regression analysis, findings suggest that incident-level variables including gender, age, and weapon type differ across homicide types. However, when examining neighborhood characteristics like the level of poverty, the level of female inequality and the level of social disorganization, there appear to be no differences across homicide types. This suggests that incident-level characteristics like gender, age, and weapon type matter more when distinguishing between intimate partner homicide and non-intimate partner homicide than the places in which intimate partner homicides occur.

Authors

• Laura Siller, Northeastern University

• Ramiro Martinez, Jr., Northeastern University