Characteristics of adolescents charged with homicide: Review of 72 cases

Dewey G. Cornell*, Elissa P. Benedek, David M. Benedek

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

54 Scopus citations

Abstract

The present study examined a comparatively large sample of 72 adolescents charged with murder who were referred for pretrial evaluation in the State of Michigan over a 9‐year period. Subjects are compared with a control group of 35 adolescents charged with nonviolent larceny offenses. Information regarding the adolescents' demographic and social background, and the circumstances of the offense, are presented. Recognition of the diverse motives and circumstances of adolescent homicide may help to explain discrepant characterizations of them presented in the literature.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)11-23
Number of pages13
JournalBehavioral Sciences & the Law
Volume5
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 1987

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