Joblessness, Family Disruption, and Violent Death in Chicago, 1970-90

Abstract

Violent deaths, defined as homicides, suicides and accidents, are leading causes of death among working age populations.While large scale population studies and community case studies have established common linkages between race, sex, age, joblessness and all three forms of violent death, they have tended to be cross-sectional and to be focused on one cause of violent death to the exclusion of others.Utilizing 1970 and 1990 census data and vital records for 75 Chicago community areas, this paper examines the relationships between joblessness, family disruption, and all three forms of violent death across the black and non-black community area populations of Chicago at two distinct time points corresponding to William Julius Wilson's theory of the evolvement of urban underclass communities.We also consider the evidence for the mortality effects of variations in levels of racial segregation among black urban communities, entertaining the possibility that higher rates of racial isolation may have independent effects on some causes of violent death.The findings suggest that both homicide rates and accidental death rates are similarly predicted by high rates of joblessness and family disruption, and that these relationships have strengthened across both black and non-black communities over time.These relationships also vary by race and gender, but are generally stronger for males.Variations in levels of racial segregation among black community area populations appeared to have no consistent direct effects on black rates of violent death.