Alcohol is Linked to an Increase in Violence
Alcohol Related Homicides are High in Relation to Women Killing Men
In a July 2009 Trends & issues in crime and criminal justice article entitled "Alcohol and Homicide in Australia" Jack Dearden and Jason Payne confirm that the findings of an Australian study on alcohol consumption and an increase in homicide, mirrored those of international research, namely that alcohol consumption increases the number of homicides.
The Effects of Alcohol Consumption
Often alcohol is used as a way to relax and unwind at the end of the day. Alcohol impairs reflexes and judgment, which affects the decision making ability of the person consuming alcohol.
People who have consumed alcohol are unable to process information as well as someone who is sober. An intoxicated person may also have difficulty in using several cues at a time for the decision making process. Intoxicated people tend to be more aggressive in certain situations and due to their decision making impairment react before thinking.
Statistical Analysis of Alcohol Use and Violence
According to Jack Dearden and Jason Payne, each year around 4.5 per cent of Australians report being physically abused by someone who was under the influence of alcohol and another 25 percent reported being verbally abused by persons under the influence.
The study reported on by Dearden and Payne, confirms that between 1 July 2000 and 30 June 2006 of the 1,565 solved homicides investigated 729 (47%) were classified as alcohol related. To break this data down further, of those homicides 438 involved alcohol consumed by both the offender and the victim, 141 where only the victim consumed alcohol and 150 where only the offender consumed alcohol.
The Relationship between Victim and Offender of Homicides
Dearden and Payne further state that 44 percent of homicides involving an intimate partner were alcohol related. A key factor to note here is that in intimate partner homicides it was more likely for the female to have been affected by alcohol when murdering the male intimate and not the other way around.
Alcohol not an Excuse for Violence
Dearden and Payne note that alcohol cannot be used as an excuse for violence and homicides but needs to be looked at as one of many factors that contribute to such human behaviour.
When examining violence and murder, a range of issues need to be remembered; namely, it is not one factor alone that leads to this behavior but a combination of things. The pharmacological effects of alcohol combined with environmental and situational factors need to be taken into account as a whole and not in isolation.
To be able to understand and prevent violence and homicides people and their behavior need to be investigated. Appropriate safe guards need to implement findings of such studies. No doubt a reduction in alcohol consumption can lead to a decrease in violence and homicides. It is up to society as a whole to bring about such change.
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