EXAMINING THE INCREASING CASES OF HOMICIDES AMONG AFRICAN AMERICANS IN AMERICA
EXAMINING THE INCREASING CASES OF HOMICIDES AMONG AFRICAN AMERICANS IN AMERICAThe purpose of this research is to examine the increasing level of homicides among the African Americans in the United States. Researches show that cases of increased number of homicides among the African Americans in America have been increasing in over the years. There are many other crimes related to murder. This research aims to find whether these crimes affect the number homicides. The study is important as it will help us find possible ways of curbing the level of homicides among the African Americans in the country. The aim of the research is to find the relationship between murder and other crimes such as theft, drug abuse and prostitution. The research aims to collect data from institutions such as the federal bureau Institute about the African Americans convicted for murder. The research will use both quantitative and qualitative data. There will be use of interviews that will help find solutions to the increased cases of homicides. The benefit of the research is aimed at reducing the number of homicides among the black American in America.
Examining the Increasing Cases of Homicides among African Americans in America
1.0 Aims and Objectives
The study will investigate the relationship between the high level of homicides and other forms of the offenses committed by the African Americans. This research seeks to find out the reasons why homicides among the African Americans have been increasing over the years. It will focus on other crimes that the black Americans have indulge in and find out how these crimes influence the level of homicides
2.0 Background
Homicide is a major problem among the African Americans as it the second largest cause of death among the black youths. There is a large likelihood that a black youth may be a victim of a homicide in America compared to their counterparts; the white youths. According to Kawachi and Berkman (2003), the black people live together, they marry one another; they date one another, and they work together, school together among other things. People of the same race tend to kill each other. Both national data and historical data show that most black homicides are caused by fellow African Americans. For instance, the FBI annual reports shows that from 2009 the percentage of African Americans that kill African Americans on average is 90%, while the percentage of white that kill whites on average is 83%.
Most of the people that commit homicide include, but are not limited to the following. alcohol users, thieves, husband and wife conflicts, jealousy related conflicts and conflicts over money. Most homicides occur at home and in the evening over weekends. Less of the black killings are done by whites or strangers. Even more, killers in most cases know the person they kill so well. For example, there are cases where family member kills fellow members; like children killing parents or siblings killing one another. Some cases show that former friends kill one another over personal differences, and cases of business partners killing each other have been reported.
According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, homicides in the United States is higher compared to other developed countries. Most studies that have been done show that the highest number crimes committed in American are done by the African Americans. Hawkins (2000) confirms that homicide among the African Americans are higher than those done by the whites; he used secondary data to do his analysis. This confirmation portrays African Americans as violent and unlawful persons. Equally, Hawkins (2000) elaborates that most African Americans do not commit homicide due to racism, but their financial status. Therefore, his argument reveals that most poor African Americans are prone to suffer from depression.
Additionally, poverty and depression are the primary reason that leads individuals to indulge in drug use. For many years, the African Americans have been known to abuse alcohol and other hard drugs. The states and cities with numerous African Americans rarely lack black markets where illegal drugs are readily available. However, illegal drug use comes with numerous adverse effects such addiction and mental problems that affect users. Likewise, the use of banned substances encourages theft, arrogance, unnecessary fights, and bad temper among others. All these side effects in one way or another contribute to the increasing number of homicides among the African Americans. Haberman and Baden (2001) argue that the use of narcotics and addiction is directly related to violence that results in increased rates of homicides and suicides in the United States of America.
There are causes other cases of homicides that involve individuals killing themselves. Such cases are happen sometimes because of depression, domestic violence or a dark past life of the victim. A person who was raped whether young or old might not be able to deal with the stress. If quick action is not taken then this person might kill themselves. Domestic violence is another case which can force an individual to commit suicide. If counselling is not given to a couple or if they do not find way of dealing with their family issues then one or both couples may want to take their lives. There are cases where a man kills wife, children the kills himself just because they cannot handle their family issues. Children in some cases get disoriented when their parents have marital issues. Constant projection or quarrels may lead some children to commit suicide.
According to Matzopoulos (2016), the black males commit more homicides than the female African Americans. The African Americans, who commit murder, do it because they have been insulted, called names or differences of their origin. Some of them enter into fights when gambling ending up killing one another because of ingenuity during the game. The black males also kill one another over lovers and wives. Additionally, Adjorlolo and Chan (2015) argue that some temperamental African Americans kill their family members that annoy them due to poor anger management. Matzopoulos (2016) states that in some cases black females kill males in the community. Most of females commit homicides when they are harassed sexually by their lovers, when they are drunk or when they have other relationship conflicts. Further, some black females to kill other ladies when they are fighting over lovers. In some instance, they do so over simple quarrels.
Some homicides committed are unplanned and are mostly happen out of anger. This types homicides are forms of expressions and are not related to other crimes. The killers in this circumstance normally cannot control their anger and they, as a result, unconsciously kill the people who annoy them. Other homicides are instrumental as they involve other crimes, and are planned. They are done on purpose to pay back. Normally, these homicides occur among people who live together cannot avoid getting into quarrels with one another (Adjorlolo & Chan, 2015). Therefore, dealing with the conflicts encountered is depended on the person. Naturally, some people have very high tempers, and these tempers may lead them to make major mistakes like killing one another.
What is more, some researchers associate homicides to social class. The difference in the social class for instance between the rich and the have-nots. Whenever little misunderstandings arise, the rich and the poor may not be able to understand one another. Therefore, the poor believe that the rich look down upon them because they think that they are low-income earners. In reality, it is possible for the rich to look down upon the poor or will want to remove their mess by eliminating the troublesome poor Africans. Further, most of African Americans are from the low class earners in the society. Low income earners experience numerous social and personal problems such as poverty and frustrations respectively. As a result, many African American are very unstable, and are prone to alcoholism. The consumption of excessive alcohol affect their thinking, thereby make most of them more susceptible to crime.
An individual’s past life and personality affect their chances of committing murder. A person, who has been assaulted or experienced their loved one killed have a higher affinity to kill others to avenge the deaths of their loved ones. An example is a child who saw their parents killed, yet justice for his parents never prevailed. Matzopoulos (2016) argues that such as child is more likely to accumulate anger, and will eventually revenge for his parent’s killers by murdering someone else that insults them or the people who killed his parents. Even more, the environment can either increase or reduce cases of homicides. People who live in drug afflicted regions witness numerous crimes that range from mass killings to political assassinations. Inhabitants of such areas views crimes as normal happenings, thereby they may not find it difficult to kill for revenge or to earn something like money from the person they kill. Likewise, some of them can easily kill when they are provoked a little. As a result urban areas with African Americans have more cases of homicides compared to rural areas. Also, a person who grows up in suburbs where illegal use and purchase of drugs is done is more likely to kill.
In summation, the research aims to find out the reasons for increased cases of homicides among the black Americans in the United States. It will also find out the relationship between cases of homicides and other crimes such as drug and alcohol abuse in the country. Interviews with the victims will help find out the challenges that these individuals are facing and hence be able to find out solutions to the increasing cases of homicides.
3.0 Research Plan
3.1Participants
The research will be done on African Americans that have actualized the cases of Homicides. The victim should be citizens of the United States. Data from these institutions can be used in the analysis of my findings. Since data of possible crimes may sometimes not be as they are recorded in different data bases in the country, the study do fifty interviews. The interview will have a forty people that participated in various homicides, and the around ten interviews for those people who have been affected by the homicide.
3.2 Recruitment
The study select databases from where to collect data from such United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and Federal Bureau Institute. The reason for this is that in one way or another, they all depend on the same data that is recorded at various police stations in the country. The study will avoid biasness when selecting the fifty people for my interview. For this reason, the study will not use date from one city, and make general conclusions about the black in black homicides. On the contrary, the study will sample data from various cities and regions to have relevant conclusions about the reasons for increased homicides in the country among African Americans. Thus, there is need to select top ten cities that have the highest number of African Americans living in them. The study utilize sampling method to select four individual from the cities two being persons who committed homicide and the other two who have been affected by the homicide.
Notably, Watters and Biernacki (2000) believe that the study should use convenience sampling because it not possible to easily tell who was affected. Further, the study identify participants if they are in jail for if they were not convicted it is hard to tell who killed. To ensure gender sensitivity, it will be important to use quota sampling. This will ensure that equal number of males and females are selected. Also, the study use purposive sampling to gain access to victims and participants. Some victims of homicides and participants are normally not able to freely discuss issues that affect them freely. Participants can then be reached and convinced to participate in the research with a promise that their privacy will be protected. More information can be obtained from the use of face to face interview. The victims of homicides may not disclose a lot or anything at all when other methods are used. It is possible to know the problems that are faced by the victims and the causes of the rampant homicides among the African Americans.
The study request various polices stations heads to help us get volunteers who have been detained for homicide and who would be willing to participate in the interviews. Social gatherings like churches in various parts of the cities can be used to find volunteer victims who are willing to participate in the interview. Robinson (2014) states that other forms of media like newspapers, radio, TV, and internet, can be used to find volunteer participants. The study provide enough information of acquired from the interviewees and assure them that their privacy and confidentiality will be protected.
4.0 Data collection
The quantitative data will enable me to analyze the ratio of African Americans in crime and the ratio that commit homicide. The study also be able to know whether incidences of homicides among the African Americans is increasing or decreasing. Furthermore, the study be able to identify the cities that are affected most and identify the characteristics of these cities. This will enable me to know whether the geographic location and the environment affect the affinity to homicide incidences.
The study use interviews. Face to face interview will enable me to get a personal relationship with the interviewee making it possible for me to gain in-depth qualitative data. The interview is aimed at finding out the reasons that lead the perpetrators to kill and to also find out how we can deal with the murder cases. The study record the data I obtain from the interview in a notebook. The study record all the points then analyze them after the data collection from the interviews. The study then use the quality quantitative data to make inferences about the possible causes of homicide.
The study use emails to communicate with the institutions where the study collects data about the people convicted on murder cases. The study therefore needs a computer, a flash disk and the internet to collect and store the quantitative data. The study also need SPSS software to analyze the data from these institutions. The study also use the internet to advertise and acquire volunteers who would like to participate in the interview.
4.1 Materials
The study make use of interview to get the raw data from the victims of homicides. The study use a well framed question that will help me get the most out of my interviewees. A short interview that will not make my clients tired. Once I have gained the number of the interviewee that I require, the study create time as each interview would require around one to two hours. For the study, we need note books and a pen and a schedule of time and date that interviewers will be meeting my interviewee. The questions will be open-ended without an order. The formats will change from time to time since various interviewees have different ways of handling sensitive issues. The questions will include age, name, financial status, who did what why and many others. The order should be from the simple questions for the interviewee to the hardest.
5.0 Ethical Considerations
The ethics committee will ensure that the study has used the correct procedure by promoting objectives of the research. During the research, the study will be as accurate as possible so that I make an accurate analysis and truthful conclusions. The study avoid using data incorrectly as it will lead to misrepresenting data and the results. In the research, the study will be dealing with relevant institutions that will provide me with secondary data; the study will also be dealing with victims of homicides and people who killed. These different groups of people need me to cooperate with them. Otherwise, the study will not get what it aims to get. The study will create trust with my interviewees, mutual respect, and fairness. The study will comply with rules that govern the data policies and confidentiality rules. As a researcher, Eriksson and Nilsson argue that (2008) I have a duty to abide by the requirement of confidentiality and privacy. The study will ensure that it does not go exposing what confidential information that it gets from the interviewees. Therefore, the study will protect them.
Homicide is a sensitive issue. The study give free counseling to the interviewee and also explain to them why the research is necessary. Counseling is aimed at making them relaxed so that the effects of the homicide cannot make them so emotional during the interview. Even if this happens, I have a duty to handle the situation with care. During this session, the study will create trust between me and the interviewee so that they can freely and honestly answer the questions. As a researcher and a psychologist for this study will not judge anyone for anything that they did. Contrariwise, they will accept our differences in humanity and environment. According to Lewis (2015), the success of gaining quality qualitative data relies on the support that interviewee gets. Thus, the study offer my interviewees maximum support.
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