|
|
Violence:
Homicide, Assault, Suicide and Firearms
|
 |
Reduce
homicides.
Target:
5.0 homicides per 100,000 population.
Baseline, 1996-1998: 8.8 homicides per 100,000 population
(age adjusted to year 2000 U.S. standard population).
Target Setting Method: 43 percent improvement.
Reduce
the suicide death rate.
Target:
8 suicide deaths per 100,000 population.
Baseline, 1996-1998: 11.8 suicides per 100,000 population
(age adjusted to year 2000 U.S. standard population).
Target Setting Method: 32 percent improvement.
Reduce
firearm-related deaths.
Target:
Firearms-related Homicide – 5 per 100,000 population.
Firearm-related Suicide – 6 per 100,000 population.
Baseline, 1996-1998: (age adjusted to year 2000 U.S.
standard population) Firearm-related Homicide – 5.8 per 100,000
population.
Firearm-related Suicide – 8.1 per 100,000 population.
Target Setting Method: Firearm-related Homicide –
14 percent improvement. Firearm-related Suicide – 26 percent
improvement.
Reduce
juvenile assault crime rate.
Developmental
Objective, baseline data to be collected and analyzed in
2001.
|
 |
|
Injury
- Violence:
Homicide, Assault, Suicide and Firearms
|
Violence is abusive or aggressive behavior
imposed on a person or upon oneself. It may cause injury and even
death. On an average day in the United States, 53 persons die from
homicide and a minimum of 18,000 persons survive interpersonal assaults.
Eighty-four persons complete suicide, and as many as 3,000 persons
attempt suicide. Violent crime is associated with substance abuse. |
Firearms
Availability of firearms is associated with homicide, suicide and
violent crimes. In the United States the number of crimes with weapons
is dramatically higher than all other industrial nations. Homicides
are most often committed with guns, especially handguns. Homicides
of teens and young adults are much more likely to be committed with
a gun than homicides of persons of other ages. Across the country,
for every fatality caused by a firearm, approximately three more persons
received non-fatal gunshot wounds. |
Homicide and Assault
Violence in the United States is pervasive. In North Carolina, an
average of 745 homicides occur each year. Homicide is the second leading
cause of death for persons aged 15 to 24 years and the leading cause
of death for African American/Blacks in this age group. While homicide
rates are dropping among all age groups, the decrease among persons
ages 15 to 24 years is not as great. Of the homicides that occurred
in 1998, firearms caused 68 percent. Homicide most often occurs as
the result of arguments between friends and family members and not
during the course of a crime. In fact, 85 percent of all the homicide
victims knew their killers. The number of homicides of persons age
65 or over has been decreasing. Males age 65 or older are more likely
than females of the same age to be homicide victims. Most of the offenders
who commit eldercide are under age 50. Violence and homicide are associated
with substance abuse. In national surveys, 33 percent of state prisoners
and 22 percent of federal prisoners said they had committed their
offense while under the influence of drugs. About 60 percent of mentally
ill and 51 percent of other inmates in state prison were under the
influence of alcohol or drugs at the time of their current offense.
|
Juvenile Crime and Assault
In North Carolina,
juvenile murder has decreased 17 percent, contrary to the media reports
that focus on school homicide, which give the impression that juvenile
violence has increased. However, children are committing a greater
percentage of crime. Age-specific arrest rates for violent crime start
to increase dramatically at about age 15, peak at age 19 and then
begin to decline . This indicates that prevention efforts should be
focused on changing the behavior of young persons. In North Carolina,
a child age 16 is seen as an adult in the judicial system; children
age 15 and younger are seen as juveniles. The Criminal Justice system
is set up for adults that are over 20 years old. While the data suggest
that persons, age 16-20, commit most of the violent crimes, the system
does not have interventions to deal with this age group with the highest
arrest rates. The current system was established in the early 1980s
when fewer violent crimes were committed by persons over ages 20 and
under. |
Suicide
More people
die from suicide than from homicide. In North Carolina in 1998, there
were 1.3 times as many suicides as homicides. Overall, suicide is
the eighth leading cause of death for North Carolinians and is the
third leading cause of death for young people ages 15-24. Nearly two
of every three suicides in 1998 were committed with a firearm. Suicide
rates increase with age and are highest among Americans age 65 years
and older. Suicide rates among older adults are highest for those
who are divorced or widowed. Research tells us that while older adults
attempt suicide less frequently than other groups, they are more successful
at completing the act. Youth use firearms for suicide attempts about
70 percent of the time. Alcohol consumption is associated with suicide
and other suicide risk factors such as depression or other mental
illnesses. Alcohol is not highly associated with suicide for North
Carolina youth. |
|
|
|
Disparities
|
Juvenile Crime and Assault
Homicide
victimization is especially high among African American/Black and
Hispanic/Latino youths. Males are more likely than females to be both
victims and perpetrators of violent crime. Homicide rates are highest
among minorities, persons living in large cities, and persons who
live in communities with high rates of poverty and unemployment. |
Suicide
Elderly suicides
are disproportionately White, and often among persons recently widowed.
Suicides among young people are most frequent among White males. However,
suicide is increasing among African-American males. |
|
|
|
Determinants/Risk
Factors
|
Juvenile Crime and Assault
Poverty, discrimination,
lack of education, family violence, lack of family support, unemployment,
drugs and alcohol, young persons in contact with the Juvenile System
(repeat offenders), low school performance, low employment opportunities,
and disruptive school behavior
Suicide
Older Adults: Social
isolation, chronic or terminal illness, lack of employment, substance
abuse, depression, and mental illness
Youth: Access of firearms, depression and mental
illness, and social estrangement
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Injury
- Violence: Homicide, Assault, Suicide and Firearms
|
|
|
|
|
