Criminal Homicide: Annotated Bibliography

Bocanegra, K., & Gottlieb, A. (2025). A Community-Based Examination of the Association between Perceived and Actual Homicide Clearance Rates and Cooperation with Homicide Investigations. American Journal of Criminal Justice, 1-23. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12103-025-09840-9

This article introduces the problem of low homicide clearance rates and declining community cooperation with police investigations. The research investigates the connection between perceived and actual homicide clearance rates, as well as how the perceptions impact the level of cooperation by the people. The authors employ the community-based research design in the integration of surveys and formal police clearance statistics. The area of operation is the urban communities within the United States, although marginalized neighborhoods are given special consideration. This source can be used in research on criminal homicide because it outlines the role of the societal perception as opposed to investigative powers in the determination of the cases. One of the weaknesses is that it can be based on self-reported perceptions, which can be tampered with by prejudice or false information. The authors conclude that transparency and the relationship between the police and the community can be improved to increase cooperation and the clearance rates. The source is enlightening on the issue of the significance of legitimacy and trust in the investigations of homicides. It is suitable for research that describes the social influence on the resolution of homicides.

Chopin, J., Guay, J. P., Fortin, F., Paquette, S., Péloquin, O., & Chartrand, E. (2024). Earlier or later? A survival analysis of criminal career and contextual factors associated with intimate partner homicide in Canada. The British Journal of Criminology, 64(6), 1362-1384. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjc/azae023

This study introduces intimate partner homicide as a complex outcome influenced by long-term criminal trajectories and situational factors. It seeks to identify the effect of the timing and variable consideration of the criminal career in relation to the occurrence of intimate partner homicide. The authors use survival analysis due to longitudinal Canadian criminal justice data. It has a national outreach targeting offenders of the intimate partner homicide cases at various stages of life. The article can be good in the context of studying criminal homicide as it uses a life-course approach, which identifies risk factors at early and late stages of life as important in preventing crime. One of the weaknesses is that the results cannot wholly be applicable outside Canada due to legal and cultural variations. The authors conclude that intimate partner homicide is a result of various developmental courses. The paper can further improve the knowledge of homicide, focusing on the time intervention and points of prevention, which supports studies related to preventing and specific criminal behavior in targeting matters of criminal justice.

Stansfield, R., & Parker, K. F. (2025). A neighborhood analysis of US homicide clearances in 50 cities: Examining race and disadvantage across neighborhood types. Journal of Criminal Justice, 98, 102403. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2025.102403

This article introduces homicide clearance as a neighborhood-level issue shaped by social and structural conditions. The researchers seek to determine the impacts of race, disadvantage, and neighborhood type on homicide clearance rates in the U.S. cities. The authors evaluate the neighborhood features and clearance lead results with the help of multilevel statistical analysis of the data in 50 cities. The sample has a wide range of urban neighborhoods, and it is possible to make a comparison in diverse social settings. This reference is relevant to the research on homicide since it illustrates the impact of structural inequality on successful investigations to confirm macro-level explanatory factors of crime outcomes. One weakness is that the study is conducted in an urban region, which is different from rural regions. The authors found that racial composition and concentrated disadvantage greatly lower the clearance rates. The article is considered research in criminal homicide because it is focused on the aspects of systemic gaps, and the source supports the idea of the reconsideration of the policy that will help to remove the systemic barriers to justice.