Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, Ahead of Print.
ObjectivesExtend foundational work on the structural covariates of homicide (concentrated disadvantage in particular) by examining the differential effects of context across distinct types of incidents.MethodsUsing data on 31,513 incidents nested within 4,598 places from the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS) from 2003 to 2018, multilevel latent class analysis (MLCA) classified homicides into types. Two-level negative binomial regression models subsequently examined the place-level correlates of homicide counts disaggregated by type.ResultsFour empirically distinct types of incidents were identified, including felony, argument, intimate partner violence, and child abuse homicides. While concentrated disadvantage has a positive relationship with all four types, its effect is significantly stronger for felony and argument homicides relative to incidents involving intimate partner violence and child abuse.ConclusionsThe results indicate that context exhibits differential effects across homicide types, in turn suggesting that their underlying social processes and mechanisms are distinct.