The Relationship between Alcohol and Criminal Homicide

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Abstract
In addition to reviewing previous studies on the relationship between alcohol and criminal homicide, the present study is an analysis of 588 victims and 621 offenders of this crime. Data are taken from the Philadelphia police files between 1948 and 1952. The chi-square test of significant association was used to test association of several variables with presence of alcohol in either the victim, the offender, or both. Either or both persons had been drinking prior to the crime in two-thirds of the cases. Significantly associated with the presence of alcohol in the homicide situation were: Negro victims and offenders; the method of inflicting death (particularly stabbings); "victim-precipitated" homicide (cases in which the victim provoked the offender to attack); and weekend slayings. All these variables are shown to be interrelated with drinking mores, the social class structure, and sub-cultural value systems.

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