Technology
Reasons it’s hard to measure violence and homicide rates
The most recent ranking of the world’s most violent cities by the Mexican research group Security, Justice, and Peace again drew attention to Latin America, which was home to 42 of the 50 cities on the list.
Latin America is indeed the most violent region, accounting for about 8% of the global population but tallying roughly one-third of the world’s intentional homicides.
While homicide is not the only kind of violent crime, it is generally considered the best measure of it.
“Of all the different types of crime, homicide is probably the easiest to track because there’s nothing more biologically evident than a dead body,” Robert Muggah, the research director at Brazil’s Igarapé Institute and an expert on crime and crime prevention, told Business Insider.
In most places, there are also legal procedures that authorities are supposed to follow when dealing with homicides.
“So unlike, say, assault or robbery or sexual violence or domestic abuse, homicide is one of those variables that across time and space is relatively straightforward to capture,” Muggah said, adding that researchers can draw on a panoply of sources — law enforcement, public-health agencies, nongovernmental groups, the press, and the public — to tabulate and track homicides over time.
But, as Latin America illustrates, there are a number of recurrent challenges that arise when collecting homicide data that complicate efforts to make comparisons and compile rankings.
-
Entertainment6 days ago
‘Dune: Prophecy’ review: The Bene Gesserit shine in this sci-fi showstopper
-
Entertainment5 days ago
Black Friday 2024: The greatest early deals in Australia – live now
-
Entertainment4 days ago
How to watch ‘Smile 2’ at home: When is it streaming?
-
Entertainment4 days ago
‘Wicked’ review: Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo aspire to movie musical magic
-
Entertainment3 days ago
A24 is selling chocolate now. But what would their films actually taste like?
-
Entertainment3 days ago
New teen video-viewing guidelines: What you should know
-
Entertainment2 days ago
Greatest Amazon Black Friday deals: Early savings on Fire TVs, robot vacuums, and MacBooks
-
Entertainment2 days ago
2024 Black Friday ads: Greatest deals from Target, Greatest Buy, Walmart, Kohls, and more