MI:Justifiable homicides under reported to FBI in Saginaw County and statewide

mlive.com ^ | 15 June, 2012 | Brad Devereaux |

[marktwain]

There were five justifiable homicides in Saginaw from 2000 to 2010, though the Federal Bureau of Investigation only knows that one of those cases was justifiable.

The killing is one of 117 civilian justifiable homicides that took place from 2000 to 2010 in Michigan, according to FBI statistics, though an MLive investigation has shown those numbers are incomplete.

Saginaw Police Department Detective Sgt. Joseph Dutoi said the agency reports to the state whenever there is a homicide, and the department is supposed to file another report when the homicides are determined to be justified. 

[marktwain]

This report from 2012 confirms Gary Klecks paper that the Uniform Crime Reports understates justifiable homicides by a factor of from 4 to 8. To put it another way, justifiable homicides are likely four to eight times more frequent than reported by the FBI. This is easily understood when you read the extremely restrictive definition of a justifiable homicide in the UCR.

How the FBI Uniform Crime Report defines Jusifiable Homicides

 

[cripplecreek]

This is exactly what I've been saying for a long time. A lot of the "murders" may not be so much murder as they are self defense.



Michigan legislative action thread

[JoeFromSidney]

Just remember, every justifiable homicide means a CRIME PREVENTED. The crime would have been murder, rape, or assault of some kind. This is the other side of the coin of justifiable homicide.

[rktman]

Damn those stand your ground laws anyway.

[Zhang Fei]

Red states have far higher homicide rates than blue states. Could justifiable homicides account for these higher rates?

[B4Ranch]

No mention of recidivism? I view it as multiple crimes prevented.

[marktwain]

“Red states have far higher homicide rates than blue states. Could justifiable homicides account for these higher rates?”

I do not think that is correct. It all depends on what states you choose.

When I have looked at the numbers, those that claimed this counted suicides in order to make the claim come out right.

[Zhang Fei]

I do not think that is correct. It all depends on what states you choose. When I have looked at the numbers, those that claimed this counted suicides in order to make the claim come out right.

I should have typed "southern states". Demographics (large black populations relative to blue states) are a big part of this, but even white homicides are higher in southern states.

[marktwain]

European Murder Rates Compared to the United States

[Zhang Fei]

European Murder Rates Compared to the United States

That's a great link. Thanks...