Abstract
Although there is a plethora of research documenting the relationship between firearms and violence, we know little about the influence of offenders’ motivation and premeditation as they relate to the choice of weapon for the commission of a violent crime. In this study, we examined a sample of 375 violent crime inmates incarcerated in the New Jersey Department of Corrections. We addressed two research questions: what variables influence the use of a firearm in a violent crime, and do premeditation and motivation increase the odds that an offender will use a firearm in a violent crime? We found that premeditation and motivation are robust covariates of firearm use, which aligns with Rational Choice Theory; this suggests that firearms are used as tools to gain compliance and facilitate the commission of a crime. As a result, prevention strategies that focus on restricting access to firearms to at-risk populations and those that focus on interrupting the cycle of violence may help reduce firearm-related violence, particularly in premeditated events.
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Notes
Females were not included due to their low number and lack of variability within violent offense types. Additionally, we chose this sample size because each subject’s files were extensively reviewed for the required information and were coded by two research assistants to ensure validity. This sample ensured adequate representation, but also a manageable size to code.
The utilization of state correctional inmate-level data has both benefits and limitations. Receiving access to each inmate’s comprehensive file provided the opportunity to fully reconstruct the specifics of the crime, as well as obtain information infrequently documented, such as motivation and premeditation. However, these data do not capture information of convicted offenders who served time in jail, or who were sentenced to community service.
It is important to note that because we had full access to the offender’s file (incident reports with both witness and assailant statements, police reports, court records, and corrections records) missing data is not an issue with the variables of premeditation and motivation. The breadth of available statements provided clear information since law enforcement directly asked victims, witnesses, and the perpetrator: (1) why the offender committed the violent act (if this was unanswered with police records of all involved, the sentencing and corrections files were also checked); (2) whether the crime was planned; and (3) whether they knew the victim would be in a particular location.
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Data for this study was approved by the Departmental Research Review Board of the New Jersey Department of Corrections (Approval Number 17.01).
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Pizarro, J.M., Zgoba, K.M. & Pelletier, K.R. Firearm Use in Violent Crime: Examining the Role of Premeditation and Motivation in Weapon Choice. J Primary Prevent 42, 77–91 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10935-020-00595-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10935-020-00595-z