Pennsylvania's Murder Statistics

The Pennsylvania Crimes Code, section 2502.Murder, defines murder in the following terms:

Murder of the first degree: "A criminal homicide constitutes murder of the first degree when it is committed by an intentional killing"

Murder of the second degree: "A criminal homicide constitutes murder of the second degree when it is committed while defendant was engaged as a principal or an accomplice in the perpetration of a felony"

Murder of the third degree: "All other kinds of murder shall be murder of the third degree. Murder of the third degree is a felony of the first degree" (Pennsylvania Crimes Code, n.d., 2502).

Records from 1991 show that of the 800 individual arrests for murder in Pennsylvania, only 704 were prosecuted, with 582 cases being incarcerated (Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, 2003).

A breakdown of murderers by age and racial groups are as follows:

Murderers by Age and Race

White Minority

Age Group Male Female Male Female

17 & under 2% 1% 6% 0%

18-19 3% 0% 10% 1%

20-29 9% 2% 25% 2%

30-39 11% 1% 10% 2%

40-49 3% 1% 3% 2%

50 and over 5% 2% 2% 0%

(Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, 2003)

Of those arrested for murder in Pennsylvania, the majority is minority males; with white males having the second highest rate. For both races, the majority of males committing murder are age 29 and under. The most commonly used instrument of murder is a handgun or another firearm, while the second most common means of murder are stabbings (Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, 2003).

Average sentencing for murder in Pennsylvania is as follows with no guidelines based upon age, race, or gender:

Murder of the 1^st degree is life imprisonment or the death penalty, including arson endangering persons.

Murder of the 2^nd degree is life imprisonment including arson endangering persons.

Murder of the 3^rd degree is a minimum sentence of five years and possible fines up to $15,000.00. This includes drug delivery resulting in death as
murder of the 3^rd degree. Teflon or armor piercing bullets while committing or attempting to commit a violent crime is included in the mandatory 5 year
sentence.

The median time served for first time offenses of murder in Pennsylvania is 82 months.

The sentencing laws in Pennsylvania do not discriminate by race or sex. Minimum mandatory sentences are the same across the board. The only difference in sentencing occurs when the offender is a juvenile, under the age of 18. Juveniles in Pennsylvania committing violent crimes also receive harsh sentences. If a juvenile is convicted of murder of the 3^rd degree and they were previously convicted of murder or voluntary manslaughter, the mandatory minimum term is life imprisonment. Juveniles with two acts of violent crime face a mandatory minimum of 10 years imprisonment and juveniles with three convictions of crimes of violence face life imprisonment (Pennsylvania's mandatory minimum sentencing provisions, n.d.).

Recidivism can be defined as an individual's tendency to revert to a previous pattern of behavior or criminal habits. Recidivism is when a person who was once incarcerated is re-arrested, re-incarcerated, or re-convicted. Recidivism rates are commonly used as a means of measuring the success of specific institutional programs. An interesting study conducted by the Dept. of Justice on inmates released in 1994 showed that the highest re-arrest rates were robbers, larcenists, burglars, motor vehicle thieves, those previously incarcerated for possessing, using, or selling illegal weapons, and those previously incarcerated for receiving, possessing, or selling stolen property. Within three years of release, 1.2% of those previously incarcerated for homicide were arrested for homicide and 2.5% of those who were previously incarcerated for rape were arrested for another rape (US Legal, 2007).

Between the years of 1996-2004, 3,062 inmates were released after serving a sentence for murder. Recidivism rates for murder by age, race, and sex was determined in viewing the percentages between one through three years of release:

Recidivism Rates for Murder Based on Age, Sex, and Race
Releases between 1998-2004
Race Sex
White26%
Black26.50%
Hispanic23.30%
Other20%
Sex
Male26.20%
Female21.70%
Age
Under 21 41.30%
21-19 28.50%
30-39 26.00%
40-49 23.80%
50 and over 17.10%
(Pennsylvania Dept. of Corrections, 2006)

Overall trends for murder in Pennsylvania between the years of 1990-2000, considering race, sex, age, incarceration time, and rates indicate that minority males between the ages of 20-29 are the largest murder offenders currently incarcerated in the Pennsylvania prison system. Recidivism rates do not differ by much between whites, blacks and Hispanics; however offenders under the age of 21 have the highest rate of recidivism. Pennsylvania statutes indicate that a life sentence is life without the possibility of parole. Life is forever. Often when a life sentence is not imposed, individuals are sentenced for 60-120 years, which will insure that the remainder of their life is spent inside prison walls. Occasionally, life sentences are given with the possibility of parole (Death Penalty Information Center, 2007). Regardless of race, the statistics indicate that women are less likely than men to commit murder, with women of all ages and minority or white falling at 2% or less for murder. On an average, the median time served for murder in Pennsylvania is 82 months, six years and eight months. This is slightly more than the state minimum for murder of the 3^rd degree, yet not so much so that it would be considered excessively harsh.

Resources:

Death Penalty Information Center. (2007). The Sentencing Report, The Meaning of
"Life". Retrieved on May 3, 2007 from:
http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/article.php?scid=67&did=1025

Pennsylvanai Commission on Crime and Delinquency. (2003). 2003 Factsheet, Murder.
Retrieved on May 3, 2007 from: http://www.pccd.state.pa.us/pccd/lib/pccd/stats/criminaljusticetrends/murder2003

Pennsylvania Crimes Code. (n.d.). Section 2502. Murder. Retrieved on April 30, 2007
From: http://www.pitt.edu/~weinberg/murder.htm

Pennsylvania Department of Corrections. (2006). Recidivism in Pennsylvania State
Correctional Institutions 1999-2004. Retrieved on May 3, 2007 from
http://www.cor.state.pa.us/stats/lib/stats/recidivism.pdf

Pennsylvania's Mandatory Minimum Sentencing Provisions. (n.d.). Retreived on May 2,
2007 from: http://pcs.la.psu.edu/MANDtable.pdf

US Department of Justice. (1999). Bureau of Justice Statistics. Pennsylvania. Retrieved
on May 2, 2007 from: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/ascii/wo.txt

US Legal. (2007). Recidivism Law & Legal Definition. Retrieved on April 30, 2007
From: http://definitions.uslegal.com/r/recidivism/