Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

This study meta-analyzes 23 independent studies that included information from 28,265 homicide offenders across nine countries. On average, 48% of homicide offenders were reportedly under the influence of alcohol at the time of the offense and 37% were intoxicated. We found no demographic variations across age, gender, or race, although the proportion testing positive within the United States appears to be decreasing over time. Further, the proportion of offenders who were under the influence of alcohol was lower among those who committed the homicide with a firearm. Communities that have high homicide rates should work to reduce alcohol consumption rates.

Keywords

alcohol intoxication homicide offender meta-analysis

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Assaad

J. M.

Exum

M. L.

(2002). Understanding intoxicated violence from a rational choice perspective. In Piquero

A. R.

Tibbetts

S. G.

(Eds.), Rational choice and criminal behavior: Recent research and future challenges (pp. 65-84). New York, NY: Routledge.

Borenstein

Hedges

L. V.

Higgins

J. P. T.

Rothstein

(2009). Introduction to meta-analysis. Chichester, UK: John Wiley.

Brecklin

L. R.

Ullman

S. E.

(2002). The roles of victim and offender alcohol use in sexual assaults: Results from the National Violence against Women Survey. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 63, 57-63.

*Bureau of Justice Statistics. (1999). Correctional populations in the United States, 1996. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice.

Bushman

B. J.

(1997). Effects of alcohol on human aggression: validity of proposed explanations. In Galanter

(Ed.), Recent developments in alcoholism: Alcohol and violence (vol. 13, pp. 227-243). New York, NY: Plenum Press.

Chermack

S. T.

Giancola

P. R.

(1997). The relation between alcohol and aggression: An integrated biopsychosocial conceptualization. Clinical Psychology Review, 17, 621-649.

Chermack

S. T.

Taylor

S. P.

(1995). Alcohol and human physical aggression: Pharmacological versus expectancy effects. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 56, 449-456.

Collins

J. J.

Jr. (1981). Drinking and crime: Perspectives on the relationships between alcohol consumption and criminal behavior. New York, NY: The Guilford Press.

Collins

J. J.

Schlenger

W. E.

(1988). Acute and chronic effects of alcohol use on violence. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 49, 516-521.

10.

Cooper

Hedges

L. V.

Valentine

J. C.

(2009). The handbook of research synthesis and meta-analysis (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Russell Sage Foundation.

11.

Cooper

Smith

E. L.

(2011). Homicide trends in the United States, 1980-2008 (NCJ 236018). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice.

12.

*Criminal Justice Commission. (1967). Criminal homicides in Baltimore, Maryland: 1960-1964. Baltimore, MD: Criminal Justice Commission.

13.

Darke

(2010). The toxicology of homicide offenders and victims: A review. Drug and Alcohol Review, 29, 202-215.

14.

*Dearden

Jones

(2008). Homicide in Australia: 2006-2007 National Homicide Monitoring Program annual report (Monitoring Report No. 1). Canberra, Australia: Australian Institute of Criminology.

15.

*Dearden

Payne

(2009). Alcohol and homicide in Australia. Trends & Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice, 372, 1-6.

16.

Dingwall

(2006). Alcohol and crime. Cullompton, UK: Willan Publishing.

17.

*Dooley

(1995). Homicide in Ireland: 1972-1991. Dublin, Ireland: Department of Justice.

18.

*Dooley

(2001). Homicide in Ireland: 1992-1996. Dublin, Ireland: Department of Justice.

19.

Duke

A. A.

Giancola

P. R.

Morris

D. H.

Holt

J. C. D.

Gunn

R. L.

(2011). Alcohol dose and aggression: Another reason why drinking more is a bad idea. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 72, 34-43.

20.

Exum

M. L.

(2006). Alcohol and aggression: An integration of findings from experimental studies. Journal of Criminal Justice, 34, 131-145.

21.

Felson

Savolainen

Aaltonen

Moustgaard

(2008). Is the association between alcohol use and delinquency causal or spurious? Criminology, 46, 785-808.

22.

Felson

R. B.

Staff

(2010). The effects of alcohol intoxication on violent versus other offending. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 37, 1343-1360.

23.

Felson

R. B.

Teasdale

Burchfield

(2008). The influence of being under the influence: Alcohol effects on adolescent violence. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 45, 119-141.

24.

*Fendrich

Mackesy-Amiti

M. E.

Goldstein

Spunt

Brownstein

(1995). Substance involvement among juvenile murderers: Comparisons with older offenders based on interviews with prison inmates. International Journal of the Addictions, 30, 1363-1382.

25.

Galanter

(1997). Recent developments in alcoholism: Volume 13; Alcohol and violence. New York, NY: Plenum Press.

26.

Giancola

P. R.

(2004). Executive functioning and alcohol-related aggression. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 113, 541-555.

27.

Giancola

P. R.

(2013). Alcohol and aggression: Theories and mechanisms. In McMurran

(Ed.), Alcohol-related violence: Prevention and treatment (pp. 37-59). Chichester, UK: Wiley-Blackwell.

28.

Giancola

P. R

Josephs

R. A.

Parrott

D. J.

Duke

A. A.

(2010). Alcohol myopia revisited: Clarifying aggression and other acts of disinhibition through a distorted lens. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 5, 265-278.

29.

*Gillies

(1976). Homicide in the west of Scotland. British Journal of Psychiatry, 128, 105-127.

30.

Greenfeld

L. A.

Henneberg

M. A.

(2001). Victim and offender self-reports of alcohol involvement in crime. Alcohol Research & Health, 25, 20-31.

31.

Greenfield

T. K.

Kerr

W. C.

(2009). Tracking alcohol consumption over time. Alcohol Research and Health, 27, 30-38.

32.

Gustafson

(1994). Alcohol and aggression. Journal of Offender Rehabilitation, 21(3-4), 41-80.

33.

Hedges

L. V.

Olkin

(1985). Statistical methods for meta-analysis. New York, NY: Academic Press.

34.

*Holcomb

W. R.

Anderson

W. P.

(1983). Alcohol and multiple drug abuse in accused murderers. Psychological Reports, 52, 159-64.

35.

Hull

J. G.

Bond

C. F.

Jr. (1986). Social and behavioral consequences of alcohol consumption and expectancy: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 99, 347-360.

36.

*James

Carcach

(1997). Homicide in Australia: 1989-96 (Research and Public Policy Series No. 13). Griffith, Australia: Australian Institute of Criminology.

37.

Jones

N. E.

Pieper

C. F.

Robertson

L. S.

(1992). The effect of legal drinking age on fatal injuries of adolescents and young adults. American Journal of Public Health, 82, 112-115.

38.

Kuhns

J. B.

Wilson

D. B.

Clodfelter

T. A.

Maguire

E. R.

Ainsworth

S. A.

(2011). A meta-analysis of alcohol toxicology study findings among homicide victims. Addiction, 106, 62-72.

39.

Lang

A. R.

Goeckner

D. J.

Adesso

V. J.

Marlatt

G. A.

(1975). Effects of alcohol on aggression in male social drinkers. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 84, 508-518.

40.

Lau

M. A

Pihl

R. O.

Peterson

J. B.

(1995). Provocation, acute alcohol intoxication, cognitive performance, and aggression. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 104, 150-155.

41.

Lester

(1995). The association between alcohol consumption and suicide and homicide rates: A study of 13 nations. Alcohol and Alcoholism, 30, 465-8.

42.

*Lindquist

(1986). Criminal homicide in Northern Sweden 1970-1981: Alcohol intoxication, alcohol abuse, and mental disease. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, 8, 19-37

43.

Lipsey

M. W.

Wilson

D. B.

(2001). Practical meta-analysis. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

44.

Lipsey

M. W.

Wilson

D. B.

Cohen

M. A.

Cerzon

J. H.

(1997). Is there a causal relationship between alcohol use and violence? A synthesis of evidence. In Galanter

(Ed.), Recent developments in alcoholism: Volume 13: Alcohol and violence (pp. 245-282). New York, NY: Plenum Pres.

45.

*Makkai

Payne

(2003). Drugs and crime: A study of incarcerated male offenders (Research and Policy Series No. 52). Canberra, Australia: Australian Institute of Criminology.

46.

Martin

S. E.

(1993). Alcohol and interpersonal violence: Fostering multidisciplinary perspectives (Publication No. 93-3496). Rockville, MD: National Institute of Health.

47.

Maxson

C. L.

Gordon

M. A.

Klein

M. W.

(1985). Differences between gang and nongang homicides. Criminology, 23, 209-222.

48.

McMurran

(2013). Alcohol-related violence: Prevention and treatment. Chichester, UK:Wiley-Blackwell.

49.

*Mouzos

(2000). Homicidal encounters: A study of homicide in Australia, 1989-1999 (Research and Public Policy Series no. 28). Canberra, Australia: Australian Institute of Criminology.

50.

National Institute of Justice. (2013). Gun violence. Retrieved from http://www.nij.gov/topics/crime/gun-violence/welcome.htm

51.

Nephew

T. M.

Williams

G. D.

Stinson

F. S.

Nguyen

Dufour

(2000). Apparent per capita alcohol consumption: National, state, and regional trends, 1977–1998. (Surveillance Report No. 55.). Rockville, MD: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

52.

Overton

R. C.

(1998). A comparison of fixed-effects and mixed (random-effects) models for meta-analysis tests of moderator variable effects. Psychological Methods, 3, 354-379.

53.

Parker

R. N.

Auerhahn

(1998). Alcohol, drugs, and violence. Annual Review of Sociology, 24, 291-311.

54.

Parker

R. N.

Cartmill

R. S.

(1998). Alcohol and homicide in the United States 1934-1995: Or one reason why U.S. rates of violence may be going down. Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology, 88, 1369-1398.

55.

Parker

R. N.

McCaffree

J. M.

(2013). Alcohol and violence: The nature of the relationship and the promise of prevention. New York, NY: Lexington Books.

56.

Parker

R. N.

Rebhun

(1995). Alcohol and homicide: A deadly combination of two American traditions. Albany: State University of New York Press.

57.

Parker

R. M.

Williams

K. R.

McCaffree

K. J.

Acensio

E. K.

Browne

Strom

K. J.

Barrick

(2011). Alcohol availability and youth homicide in the 91 largest U.S. cities, 1984-2006. Drug and Alcohol Review, 30, 505-514.

58.

Pernanen

(1976). Alcohol and crimes of violence. In Kissin

Begleiter

(Eds.), The biology of alcoholism: Social aspects of alcoholism (vol. 4, pp. 351-444). New York, NY: Plenum Press.

59.

Pernanen

(1991). Alcohol in human violence. New York, NY: The Guilford Press.

60.

Pihl

R. O.

Peterson

J. B.

Lau

M. A.

(1993). A biosocial model of the alcohol-aggression relationship. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, (Supp. 11), 128-139.

61.

Pratt

T. C.

Cullen

F. T.

Blevins

K. R.

Diagle

L. E.

Madensen

T. D.

(2008). The empirical status of deterrence theory: A meta analysis. In Cullen

F. T.

Wright

J. P.

Blevins

K. R.

(Eds.), Taking stock: The status of criminological theory (pp. 367-395). New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers.

62.

Pridemore

W. A.

(2002). Vodka and violence: alcohol consumption and homicide rates in Russia. American Journal of Public Health, 92, 1921-1930.

63.

*Pridemore

W. A.

(2006). An exploratory analysis of homicide victims, offenders, and events in Russia. International Criminal Justice Review, 16(1), 5-23.

64.

*Pridemore

W. A.

Eckhart

(2008). A comparison of victim, offender, and event characteristics of alcohol- and nonalcohol-related homicides. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 45, 227-255.

65.

Rossow

(2001). Alcohol and homicide: A cross-cultural comparison of the relationship in 14 European countries. Addiction, 96(Supp 1), S77-S92.

66.

Rothstein

H. R.

Sutton

A. J.

Borenstein

(2005). Publication bias in meta-analysis: Prevention, assessment, and adjustments. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley.

67.

*Scott

P. D.

(1968). Offenders, drunkenness, and murder. British Journal of Addiction, 63, 221-226.

68.

*Shaw

Hunt

I. M.

Flynn

Amos

Meehan

Robinson

Appleby

(2006). The role of alcohol and drugs in homicide in England and Wales. Addiction, 101, 1117-1124.

69.

*Shupe

L. M.

(1954). A study of the urine alcohol concentration found in 882 persons arrested during or immediately after the commission of a felony. Alcohol and Crime, 44, 661-664.

70.

Song

Khan

K. S.

Dinnes

Sutton

A. J.

(2002). Asymmetric funnel plots and publication bias in meta-analyses of diagnostic accuracy. International Journal of Epidemiology, 31, 88-95.

71.

*Spunt

Brownstein

Goldstein

Fendrich

Liberty

H. J.

(1995). Drug use by homicide offenders. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 27(2), 125-134.

72.

*Spunt

Goldstein

Brownstein

Fendrich

Langley

(1994). Alcohol and homicide: Interviews with prison inmates. Journal of Drug Issues, 24(1), 143-163.

73.

*State of California. (1960). Criminal offenders and drinking involvement. Berkeley: State of California.

74.

Steele

C. M.

Josephs

R. A.

(1990). Alcohol myopia: Its prized and dangerous effects. American Psychologist, 45, 921-933.

75.

Taylor

S. P.

Leonard

K. E.

(1983). Alcohol and human physical aggression. In Geen

R. G.

Donnerstein

E. I.

(Eds.), Aggression: Theoretical and empirical reviews (pp. 77-101). New York, NY: Academic Press.

76.

*Varano

S. P.

Cancino

J. M.

(2001). An empirical analysis of deviant homicides in Chicago. Homicide Studies, 5(1), 5-29.

77.

*Virkkunen

(1974). Alcohol as a factor precipitating aggression and conflict behaviour leading to homicide. British Journal of Addiction, 69, 149-154.

78.

*Virueda

Payne

(2010). Homicide in Australia: 2007-2008 National Homicide Monitoring Program annual report (Monitoring Reports No. 13). Canberra, Australia: Australian Institute of Criminology.

79.

Wagenaar

A. C.

Toomey

T. L.

(2002). Effects of minimum drinking age laws: Review and analyses of the literature from 1960 to 2000. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, Suppl. No 14, 206-225.

80.

*Wieczorek

W. F.

Welte

J. W.

Abel

E. L.

(1990). Alcohol, drugs and murder: A study of convicted homicide offenders. Journal of Criminal Justice, 18, 217-227.

81.

Wilson

D. B.

(2009). Systematic coding. In Cooper

Hedges

L. V.

Valentine

(Eds.), Handbook of research synthesis and meta-analysis (2nd ed., pp. 159-178). New York, NY: Russell Sage.

82.

*Wolfgang

M. E.

(1958). Patterns in criminal homicide. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.

The Prevalence of Alcohol-Involved Homicide Offending

Abstract

Keywords

Get full access to this article

References