Homicide Clearances: An Examination of Race and Police Investigative Effort

TL;DRAbstract

Violent crime saw a decrease from 1999 through 2008. Coupled with this decrease have been decreasing homicide clearance rates. Homicide clearance rates have declined from 91% in 1965 to a 64% in 2008 (U.S. Department of Justice, FBI, 1965 & 2008). Research interest is increasing on homicide clearances yet there is still paucity in the literature. Racial disparity has been a concern throughout the criminal justice system and the effects of race on homicide clearances is an area of concern. Along with the extralegal variable of race, very little attention has been given to the role that the police investigator plays in clearing a homicide case. Investigators are key role players since they are responsible for investigating the crime and bringing it to a conclusion. Despite the emergence of additional research addressing homicide clearances, there has been little attention paid to police practices. The two main hypotheses used to explain homicide clearance rates are the discretionary and

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