American Homicides, 1980-2020: Exploring Trends through Statistics and Theories

Meredith Emigh-Guy combines criminological theories and FBI homicide data to examine recent trends in the homicide rate as well as the clearance rate. This work situates homicide statistics in the United States in a global and historical context by addressing questions of stranger-perpetrated homicide and intimate partner violence. Several potential reasons for a decline in the number of solved homicides are explored, including victim/offender relationships, weapons, and improvements in forensics. Emigh-Guy concludes that modern media representations have skewed the general public’s understanding of violent crime and provides the statistics to show how reality differs from misconception.