Citation

Mouzos J. Trends Iss. Crime Crim. Justice 2003; 252.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2003, Australian Institute of Criminology)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

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Abstract

On some occasions, the act of homicide is a 'side effect' or unplanned consequence of another criminal act, for example robbery or sexual assault. Of the 4,108 homicide incidents that occurred in Australia between 1989 and 2002, 542 (13%) occurred in the course of another crime, and 56% of such 'crime homicides' occurred during the course of a robbery. This paper undertakes a comparative analysis of the circumstances and characteristics of crime homicides and other homicides in Australia, and examines the question of whether robbery homicide is a by product of robbery, or whether there is some quantitative difference in the two types of crime. The paper finds that there are certain incident, victim and offender characteristics that are more common to crime homicides than other homicides, and that there are striking differences between the circumstances and characteristics of robbery and robbery homicide in Australia. Robberies are more likely to be committed in a community or retail setting, whereas robbery homicides are more likely to be committed in a residential location, and possibly fall into two categories: stranger invasion type offences, where the homicide is an unintentional side effect, and robbery homicides where the victims and offenders are known to each other and the homicide results from a possible 'drug rip off' or some other confrontation in relation to money. Whereas two-thirds of homicide victims are men, three-quarters of robbery-homicide victims are men, and whereas one-quarter of homicide victims are aged 45 or older, one-half of victims killed in a robbery are over the age of 45. Firearms are used in a higher proportion of robbery homicides than in robberies, and robberies have a much lower clearance rate than robbery homicides. The paper also compares armed robbery and armed robbery homicide on the offender variables of gender and age, finding that while males dominate both kinds of offence, offenders of armed robberies that result in the death of a victim tend to be older than offenders in cases where the victim is not killed. The implications of these findings for prevention are discussed, with the author stressing that the study confirms the notion that there is not one type of homicide in Australia, and that the prevention of homicide must therefore be multifaceted and far reaching.