Understanding Homicide Trends

Pearson-Nelson looks at the homicide epidemic of the late 1980s and early 1990s. His approach draws on epidemiological and sociological perspectives focused on the factors, positive and negative, related to the spread of the epidemic through urban areas. Key questions include: why did some cities experience the epidemic, while others did not? What variables affected the intensity and duration of the epidemic within cities? Pearson-Nelson finds that population density is the single most important variable. A measure of cocaine availability significantly affected the absolute magnitude of the epidemic; however, the findings indicate that greater cocaine availability actually reduced the magnitude of the epidemic.