OCR Text |
Show MURDER Murder is defined by the Uniform Crime Report as the willful or non-negligent killing of one human being by another. The classification of this offense, as for all other offenses indexed by the Uniform Crime Report, is based solely on police investigation as opposed to the determination of a court, medical examiner, etc. Not included in this classification are deaths caused by negligence, suicide, accident, justifiable homicide, or murderous attempts or assaults. These are counted aggravated assault. Utah's murder rate, at 3 murders per 100,000 population, has been consistently below the nation's for the years reported. The U.S. rate has fluctuated between 7.9 and 9.8 since 1982 (Table 103, Figure 61). In over half (55%) of murder incidents, a handgun was the weapon used. Knives were the second most frequently-used weapon, at a distant 14.5%. as Figure 61 RAPE Rape, or forcible rape, is defined as the carnal knowledge of a female, forcibly and against her will. Assaults or attempts to commit rape by force or threat of force are also included. However, statutory rape (without force) and other sex offenses are excluded. Utah shows a considerable increase over 1988 in the frequency of rapes per 100,000 population, surpassing the national rate in 1992 by 4%. Regionally, the western states recorded the Figure 62 highest rate of female rape (91 victims per 100,000 females). The national rate was 84, which was an increase of 14% from 1988 (Table 103, Figure 62). It is difficult to determine, whether the increases reflects an actual increase in the frequency of the crime, or an increase in the reporting of the crime due to an increase in litigation, and support for victims' rights. 78 PUBLIC HEALTH |