Black Female Homicide in the United States

Abstract

Research in six United States cities with high homicide rates provides a profile of arrested Black female homicide offenders that essentially corroborates previous studies of such offenders by finding that they kill those closest to them in homicides that are intersexual, intraracial, and intrafamilial. However, today, guns have replaced knives as the weapons of choice, and alcohol and narcotics are frequently involved in the homicide. In addition to emphasizing the seriousness of the problem of Black homicide, several research questions are addressed to provide a clearer picture of the Black homicide offender, her victims, and possible reasons for this type of violence.