Homicide

Catalog description

The nature of criminal homicide and its investigation are examined from both a legalistic and social scientific perspective. In part I of the course, criminal homicide is legally distinguished from non-criminal homicide, and five different types of criminal homicide are legally distinguished from each other: capital murder, first and second-degree murder, and voluntary and involuntary manslaughter. In addition, the main legal defenses to criminal homicide (immaturity, insanity, intoxication, self-defense, prevention of dangerous felony, and duress) are reviewed. In part II, various social scientific schemes for classifying and investigating homicide offenses and offenders, including the FBI’s standardized system, are critically compared. In comparing these different classification systems, actual death investigation reports, autopsies, toxicological and ballistic reports, crime scene stills and sketches, and trial court transcripts are utilized. Students will be required to classify homicide offenses and offenders on the basis of the different schemes and methods reviewed.