Table of Contents

1. Introducing You to Homicide
Introduction
Homicide: What Most People Think They Know
Organization of the Book
Historic and Contemporary
What This Book Is Not
Policy Implications
2. Who’s Killing Whom and How Much
Introduction
What We Measure
How We Measure
Studying Homicide Situations
Data Challenges
3. Murder by the Numbers
Introduction
Victims—Who Dies
Offenders—Categories and Demographics
Location, Location, Location
Weapons Used in Violence
Other Circumstances
Trends and Patterns
Homicide Internationally
4. Why We Do It: Theories of Homicide
Introduction: Sociological and Criminological Perspectives
Individual Explanations
Social Structural
Life Course, Lifestyle, and Routine Activities Theory
5. Confrontational Homicide
Introduction
Victim Precipitation
Honor Contests
Road Rage
Audience
Alcohol
Physiology
Girls, Women, and Confrontational Homicide
Investigative Considerations
6. Intimate Partner Homicide
Introduction
Rates
Dynamics of Intimate Partner Homicide
Theories to Explain Intimate Partner Homicide
Lethality Assessment
Fatality Review Teams
Prosecution of Intimate Partner Homicide
7. All in the Family
Introduction
Familicide
Parents and Children
Other Family Killings
8. School Killings
Introduction
Mass Shootings and Attacks
The Killers
Motivations of Those Who Kill
International Incidents
Policy Responses
9. Mass Murder in Public and the Workplace
Introduction
Public Places
Workplace Violence
Workplace Victims
The Workplace Killer
Assessing Violence Potential
Policy Implications
10. Killings by Groups: Gangs and Cults
Introduction
Gangs and Killing
Cults and New Religious Movements (NRM)
Cult Leaders and Followers
Assessing Impacts
Policy Implications
11. Tool of Terror
Introduction
Definition and History
Acts of Terror
Who Are Terrorists?
Hate Crimes and Killing
Role of the Media
Stopping Terrorists
12. Serial Killing
Introduction
Myth and Mayhem
Typologies
Profiling Serial Killers
Female Serial Killers
Medical or Health Care Serial Killers
Team Serial Killers
Catching Serial Killers
13. Solving Homicides
Introduction
First Officer on the Scene
Arriving With Caution
Locard’s Exchange Principle
Investigator Arrives
Documentation
Collection of Evidence
ME or No ME?
Prosecutors: Who Needs ‘Em?
Technology
Case Personnel
Working With the Media
Cold Case Investigations
14. Murder in Court
Introduction
Stages in Homicide Cases
Expert Witness Testimony
Building the Case and Charging Decisions
Evidentiary Issues
Defense Attorney Functions and Tactics
Ethical Issues
Plea Bargaining
Sentencing
15. Victims, Society, and the Future
Introduction
Victim Impact
Public Health Perspective
Criminal Justice System Response and Legislation
Societal Issues
Predicting Violence
Technology

About the Author

Dr. Richard Hough has taught criminal justice and criminology courses in the college and university setting for twenty-five years and he has taught investigative methods and other law enforcement and corrections topics in the academy and in-service law enforcement setting for thirty years. This is added to the author’s extensive professional experience including investigating homicide. Dr. Hough has held increasingly responsible positions in law enforcement and has served as director of law enforcement and corrections in sheriff’s offices, as well as superintendent of detention centers for the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice. Dr. Hough has served as both a law enforcement and corrections academy director. He is currently a faculty member in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of West Florida.

Dr. Richard Hough has conducted more than 100 training seminars, conference presentations, and international briefings on criminal justice issues and he is the primary instructor for contemporary policing practices and gangs and hate groups at the regional law enforcement academy in Pensacola, FL. Dr. Hough is a member of the Homicide Research Working Group (HRWG), the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), the International Homicide Investigators Association (IHIA), the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), the Southern Criminal Justice Association (SCJA) and the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS). Dr. Hough has been interviewed by local, regional and national news media and has appeared on radio and television speaking on criminal justice issues. He has published journal articles and book chapters. Dr. Hough actively consults as an expert witness on police and correctional practices and the use of force. Kimberly D. McCorkle is a former state prosecutor and currently serves as Vice Provost and Professor at the University of West Florida, where she has been on the faculty since 2002. As a prosecutor, she worked as a specialized domestic violence (DV) prosecutor and conducted over 50 misdemeanor and felony jury trials as lead counsel. In that position, she also trained law enforcement officers on the legal aspects of investigating domestic violence crime. Over the last 20 years, she has been interviewed numerous times by local and national media as an expert on domestic violence crime. 
Her primary research focus is intimate partner and family violence and homicide. Dr. McCorkle has published numerous articles and has presented and trained on DV and DV homicide. She is a member of the Florida Bar, the Homicide Research Working Group (HRWG), the Southern Criminal Justice Association (SCJA), and the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS).

Reviews

This text is an all-around approach to the topic of Homicide. It clears up what a Homicide is which many students have differing opinions. It shows the student data on the prevalence of this crime which many have an erroneous view of.  It does a great job discussing the different types of homicide. This is often neglected in many other texts.
*Thomas S. Alexander*

A well thought-out and organized text on homicide. It combines elements from the academic and practitioner point of view providing a well-rounded aspect. This text also has relevant cases and offers opportunities for the students to discover information on their own through the "Try This" component. It is student and faculty friendly allowing for more in-depth classroom discussion while simultaneously being comprehensive on its own.


American Homicide American Homicide
*Melissa J. Tetzlaff-Bemiller*

This text provides a multidisciplinary and balanced overview of homicide and is presented in a clear, well-organized, and student friendly manner.
*Mark Winton*