This article is about the act of killing a human being. For other uses, see Homicide (disambiguation).
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| Homicide |
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Note: Varies by jurisdiction
- Assassination
- Cannibalism
- Child murder
- Consensual homicide
- Contract killing
- Crime of passion
- Depraved-heart murder
- Double murder
- Execution-style killing
- Felony murder rule
- Feticide
- Honor killing
- Human sacrifice
- Lust murder
- Lynching
- Mass murder
- Misdemeanor murder
- Murder–suicide
- Poisoning
- Proxy murder
- Pseudocommando
- Lonely hearts killer
- Serial killer
- Spree killer
- Internet homicide
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| Manslaughter |
- In English law
- Negligent homicide
- Vehicular homicide
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| Non-criminal homicide |
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Note: Varies by jurisdiction
- Euthanasia
- Assisted suicide
- Capital punishment
- Feticide
- Human sacrifice
- Justifiable homicide
- War
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| By victim or victims |
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| Family |
- Familicide
- Avunculicide
- Prolicide
- Filicide
- Infanticide
- Neonaticide
- Fratricide
- Mariticide
- Sororicide
- Uxoricide
- Parricide
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| Other |
- Blood libel
- Capital punishment
- Crucifixion
- Democide
- Friendly fire
- Genocide
- Gendercide
- Omnicide
- Regicide
- Tyrannicide
- War crimes
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Homicide is the act of a human being causing the death of another human being.[1] There are both unintentional and intentional homicides, and many different types of homicides are generally treated very differently in human societies; such classes of homicide can include murder, manslaughter, euthanasia, execution, and (according to some sources) abortion.
Contents
- 1 Criminal homicide
- 2 State-sanctioned homicide
- 3 Global statistics
- 4 References
Criminal homicide
Criminal homicide takes many forms including accidental or purposeful murder. The crime committed in a criminal homicide is determined by the mental state of the committing person and the extent of the crime. Murder, for example, is usually an intentional crime. In many cases, homicide may in fact lead to life in prison and or even capital punishment,[2] but if the defendant in a capital case is sufficiently mentally disabled in the United States he or she cannot be executed. Instead, the individual is placed under the category of "insane".
In some jurisdictions, a homicide that occurs during the commission of a crime may constitute murder, regardless of the actor's intent to commit homicide. In the United States, this is known as the felony murder rule. Much abbreviated and incomplete, the felony murder rule says that one committing a felony may be guilty of murder if someone, including the felony victim, a bystander or a co-felon, dies as a result of his acts, regardless his intent—or lack thereof—to kill.
Criminal homicides also include voluntary and involuntary manslaughter. An example of voluntary manslaughter is hitting someone with an intent to kill them, whereas involuntary manslaughter is unintentionally causing their death. The perpetrator does not receive the same legal action against them as a person convicted of murder.
Although suicide is not considered to be homicide, anyone that assists an individual in the moment of suicide may be convicted of homicide, as codified, for instance, in California Penal Code Sec. 401.[3]
State-sanctioned homicide
Main article: Justifiable homicide
Homicides may also be non-criminal when conducted with the sanction of the state. The most obvious examples are capital punishment, in which the state punishes a criminal with death. Homicides committed in action during war are usually not subject to criminal prosecution either. In addition, members of law enforcement entities are also allowed to commit justified homicides within certain parameters which, when met, do not usually result in prosecution; see deadly force.
Global statistics
Main article: List of countries by intentional homicide rate
A 2011 study by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime brought together a wide variety of data sources to create a worldwide picture of trends and developments.[4] Sources included multiple agencies and field offices of the United Nations, the World Health Organization, and national and international sources from 207 countries.
The report estimated that in 2010, the total number of homicides globally was 468,000. More than a third (36%) occurred in Africa, 31% in the Americas, 27% in Asia, 5% in Europe and 1% in Oceania. Since 1995, the homicide rate has been falling in Europe, North America, and Asia, but has risen to a near "crisis point" in Central America and the Caribbean. Of all homicides worldwide, 82% of the victims were male and 18% were female.[5] On a per-capita scaled level, "the homicide rate in Africa and the Americas (at 17 and 16 per 100,000 population, respectively) is more than double the global average (6.9 per 100,000), whereas in Asia, Europe and Oceania (between 3 and 4 per 100,000) it is roughly half".[5]
UNODC, in its 2013 global report, estimated the total number of homicides worldwide dropped to 437,000 in 2012. Americas accounted for 36% of all homicides globally, Africa 31%, Asia 28%, Europe 5% and Oceania 0.3%.[6] The world's average homicide rate stood at 6.2 per 100,000 population in 2012, but Southern Africa region and Central America have intentional homicide rates four times higher than the world average. They are the most violent regions globally, outside of regions experiencing wars and religious or sociopolitical terrorism.[6] Asia exclusive of West Asia and Central Asia, Western Europe, Northern Europe, as well as Oceania had the lowest homicide rates in the world. About 41% of the homicides worldwide occurred in 2012 with the use of guns, 24% with sharp objects such as knife, and 35% by other means such as poison. The global conviction rate for the crime of intentional homicide in 2012 was 43%.[7]
[W]here homicide rates are high and firearms and organized crime in the form of drug trafficking play a substantial role, 1 in 50 men aged 20 will be murdered before they reach the age of 31. At the other, the probability of such an occurrence is up to 400 times lower.
[H]omicide is much more common in countries with low levels of human development, high levels of income inequality and weak rule of law than in more equitable societies, where socio-economic stability seems to be something of an antidote to homicide.
Women murdered by their past or present male partner make up the vast majority of [female] victims.[4]
A comparison of homicide rates, per 100,000 people, for some countries. Terror and war-related deaths are not included. Chinese homicide data is unavailable.
References
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Wikiquote has quotations related to: Homicide |
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Wikiversity has learning materials about Homicide |
- ^ "Homicide definition". Cornell University Law School. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
- ^ "Federal Laws Providing for the Death Penalty | Death Penalty Information Center". Deathpenaltyinfo.org. 2003-01-02. Retrieved 2012-11-17.
- ^ "CA Codes (pen:369a-402c)". Leginfo.ca.gov. Retrieved 2012-11-17.
- ^ a b United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. 2011 Global Study on Homicide. Accessed December 2, 2011.
- ^ a b "United Nations 2011 Global Study on Homicide". Journalist's Resource.
- ^ a b UNODC, Global Study on Homicide 2013 Report
- ^ UNODC, Global Study on Homicide 2013 Report, page 18
