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Exploring the Effect of Resource Availability and the Likelihood of Female-Perpetrated Homicides

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 July 2024

Angela Browne  and
Kirk R. Williams
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Abstract

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The research presented here examines the effect of legal and extralegal resources on the likelihood of female-perpetrated homicides. It looks at the relationship between gender-specific rates of partner homicide in the United States for 1976–79 and 1980–84, and the availability of legal and extralegal resources for abused women, using states as the unit of analysis. Results indicate that the availability of such resources is associated with a decline in the rates of female-, but not male-, perpetrated homicides in 1980–84, compared to the 1976–79 time period. These findings suggest that legal and extralegal interventions can provide nonviolent alternatives for victims of male partner abuse.

Type
Research Article
Information
Law & Society Review , Volume 23 , Issue 1 , 1989 , pp. 75 - 94
Copyright
Copyright © 1989 The Law and Society Association.

Footnotes

An earlier version of this paper was presented at the 1987 meeting of the American Society of Criminology, Montreal. The authors wish to thank Robert Flewelling and Lee Sullivan for their tireless assistance in the preparation and analysis of the data. This research was supported by Grant No. 85IJCX0030 from the National Institute of Justice, “Justifiable and Criminal Homicide Among Family Members, Acquaintances, and Strangers.” Kirk R. Williams and Murray A. Straus, Principal Investigators.

The authors' names are listed alphabetically to reflect their equal contributions to this work.

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