Analyzing Homicide Problems: Practical Approaches to Developing a Policy-relevant Description of Serious Urban Violence

Abstract

Urban homicide problems are highly concentrated among a small number of gang- and group-involved chronic offenders who are well known to the criminal justice system. Problem-oriented policing can be an effective approach to understanding and responding to the ongoing violent conflicts among gangs and criminally active groups that generate urban homicide problems. Unfortunately, problem analysis is often weak, and the resulting problem descriptions are limited in developing crime prevention programs. A set of simple research methodologies has been used in several US cities to better understand urban homicide problems and to implement promising homicide prevention programs. These problem analysis methods include: documenting the criminal backgrounds and criminal justice system involvement of homicide victims and homicide offenders; conducting homicide incident reviews; and identifying gangs, criminal groups, and inter-group conflict patterns. In this paper, these techniques are discussed and applied to understand homicide in Stockton, California.