Homicide Trends, Prevention, Intervention in Atlanta

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Introduction

Homicide has been in existence since the beginning of time. People kill each other daily. In the United States, you are ten-times more likely to be murdered on the day you’re born than any other time in your life (CDC, 2002). For that reason, today’s research suggest that homicide events should not be considered single incidents but as underlying indicators of changes in social and economic conditions including: race, poverty, and social isolation (Parker 2004) and the distribution of handguns (Ludwig & Cook, 2003). Yet, a vast majority of criminal homicides offer very little understandings.

In 2010 there was 12,996 homicides in the United States (Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2010). Ninety-three of those homicides occurred in the Atlanta area (Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2010). For that reason, the heightened incidence of criminal and violent behavior in recent years has become a major concern across the Atlanta area. Several things are thought to be factors of homicide. Some factors include race, demographic, poverty, and the social organization of people.

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics (2009), “blacks are disproportionately represented as both homicide victims and offenders. In 2010, blacks in Atlanta represented 54% percentage of the population (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010) but 86% percent of the homicide victims (Atlanta Police Department Uniform Crime Report, 2010). Hence, one of the most consistent findings reported in the criminology literature is that African Americans in the United States are involved in criminal homicide both as offenders and victims at a rate that significantly exceeds their numbers in the general population (Bartol & Bartol, 2007). Nevertheless, in many case...

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...rected patrols, and the guns for tickets within high crime areas of The City of Atlanta, homicide rates will decrease

Summary

This paper has demonstrated how the analysis of homicide patterns in Atlanta could be use to develop and recommend interventions for communities impacted by increase homicides. However, the success of any of the recommended interventions depends upon the good relations between the police and citizens of Atlanta. Also, since most homicides are impulsive not forethought, it is unlikely that the strategies impose would mitigate the homicide rates. It is possible, although difficult to envision, that all strategies against homicide would alter behavior of offenders and thereby reduce violent situations. Conversely, by reducing the number of persons carrying firearms on the streets of Atlanta homicide will coincide be reduced as well.

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