Homicides, accidents, and suicides: common predictors?

• In Event: The Antecedents of Homicide and Hate Crime

Abstract

Whether self-control or developmental theories, many approaches to our understanding of the causes and correlates of crime underscore the overlap between involvement in crime and other risk-taking behaviors. Using autopsy data from four medicolegal offices in France and in the United States, we compare and contrast the predictors of homicides, suicides, and accidental deaths, including individual, situational, and structural factors. Consistent with the extant literature, we find a number of overlapping factors, but also some important differences, notably when it comes to cultural contexts. This study reaffirms the need to understand violence within a larger framework, both sociologically and from a public health perspective.

Authors

• Melanie-Angela Neuilly, Washington State University

• Ming-Li Hsieh, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire