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Provocation and the Point of No Return: An Analysis of Victim-Precipitated Homicide

Pesta, Racheal E.
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ysu1320413987

Abstract Details

2011, Master of Science in Criminal Justice, Youngstown State University, Department of Criminal Justice and Consumer Sciences.
Victim-precipitation theory is based on the notion that a victim may contribute to his or her own victimization. This research replicates Marvin Wolfgang’s famous Philadelphia study on victim-precipitated homicides. Additionally, the present analysis includes variables not originally tested by Wolfgang in hopes of adding to the victimization literature. Using data from 194 homicides that occurred in Youngstown, Ohio between the years 1977-2008, information was gathered from police files to discover what demographic and situational factors increase the likelihood of a victim-precipitated homicide. Data retrieved from the Youngstown Police Department revealed that 18 percent (n=35) of homicides were victim-precipitated. Differences in the frequency of victim-precipitated homicides, as opposed to non victim-precipitated homicides are analyzed with respect to age, race, gender, victim-offender relationship, level of provocation, homicide circumstance, previous arrest record, the presence of alcohol or drugs, location, and weapon used. Utilizing binary logistic regression, three variables were statistically significant in predicting the likelihood of victim-precipitated homicide: prior criminal record of the victim, the victim-offender relationship, and the gender of the offender. Demographics of the victim, alcohol and drug consumption by the victim, homicide location, and weapon used were not significant predictors of victim-precipitated homicides. In the future, a more robust and demographically diverse sample of victim-precipitated homicides would be optimal in order to obtain a more accurate depiction of the factors which affect the likelihood of victim-precipitated homicides.
Christopher Bellas, PhD (Advisor)
John Hazy, PhD (Committee Member)
Susan Clutter, MS (Committee Member)
67 p.
Criminology
homicide; victim precipitation; provocation; victimology

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Pesta, R. E. (2011). Provocation and the Point of No Return: An Analysis of Victim-Precipitated Homicide [Master's thesis, Youngstown State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ysu1320413987

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Pesta, Racheal. Provocation and the Point of No Return: An Analysis of Victim-Precipitated Homicide. 2011. Youngstown State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ysu1320413987.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Pesta, Racheal. "Provocation and the Point of No Return: An Analysis of Victim-Precipitated Homicide." Master's thesis, Youngstown State University, 2011. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ysu1320413987

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

ysu1320413987
2,139
© 2011, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Youngstown State University and OhioLINK.