Fighting back: Lethal responses to predatory attacks |
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Authors: | Email author" target="_blank">Kent?R?KerleyEmail author Heith?Copes Andrew?L?Hochstetler Anne?Carroll |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Sociology, Mississippi State University, 200 Bowen Hall, P.O. Box C, 39762 Mississippi State, Mississippi;(2) University of Alabama, Birmingham;(3) Iowa State University, Iowa;(4) University of Tennessee, Tennessee, USA |
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Abstract: | Each year millions of Americans become victims of predatory crimes. The way victims respond to these attacks varies from complicance
with offenders' requests to physically challenging offenders. In some cases, the physical defense of self and property has
lethal consequences for the initial offender. While much is known about felony murder victims and typical homicide offenders,
little is known about individuals who fight back against predatory attack by using lethal violence. In this paper, we use
data from the Homicides in Chicago, 1965–1995 study to describe the characteristics of defensive homicide offenders and to
determine how they compare with felony murder victims and defensive homicide offenders. Our results indicate that defensive
homicide offenders are more similar to typical homicide offenders than felony murder victims, and are even more likely to
have violent criminal histories and to use firearms than typical homicide offenders. Our results challenge the common perception
that individuals who fight back against predatory attack are simply “law-abiding citizens.” We conclude the paper with a discussion
of the implications of our study for additional research and police practice.
Authors' Note: The authors thank editor Dennis Stevens and James Black for their helpful comments on earlier draft of the paper. |
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