Homicide Research Working Group: An Interdisciplinary and International Organization

HRWG Newsletter

Volume 6, Number 1 -- January 1999

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A PUBLICATION OF THE HOMICIDE RESEARCH WORKING GROUP

http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/NACJD/HRWG

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HRWG to Meet in Quantico, VA
at the FBI Academy

Our annual workshop will be held June 27-30, 1999 and is sponsored by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

We are looking forward to another successful meeting at the FBI academy in Quantico. Please be sure to register early if you are interested in attending because space is limited. See the call for papers and posters and note the deadlines. Remember that although participation in the presentation of papers is limited by our discussion format, we encourage poster presentations that highlight your ongoing research or program activity.

See details for registration and participation in this newsletter.

Call for Nominations

Two Homicide Research Working Group Officer positions are up for election: 1) Secretary; and 2) Treasurer, and nominations are being sought. The current officers are -- Convener: Chris Rasche, Co-Convener: Pam Lattimore, and Network Coordinator: Tom Petee. These individuals should not be nominated for the Secretary and Treasurer positions. Ordinarily, the Secretary and Treasurer are both elected for two years. However, the bylaws specify that the first Secretary and Treasurer serve only one year. This will set up a process where two officers are elected every year -- thereby staggering the terms so all the officers are not elected at one time.

The Secretary has duties specified in the bylaws as follows:

The Secretary shall keep an accurate record of the HRWG meetings and of Steering Committee meetings and shall prepare and submit minutes of each for approval. The Secretary shall be the custodian of all current official records and files of the HRWG, shall assure that HRWG archive materials are properly maintained and stored, unless otherwise specified, and shall work with the Treasurer and the Network Coordinator to maintain membership records.

The Treasurer has duties specified in the bylaws as follows:

The Treasurer shall cause an accurate set of accounts to be maintained for the HRWG and shall, with the Convener and Co-Convener, prepare a proposed annual budget. The Treasurer shall arrange to have an independent audit conducted at least every two years, which shall then be presented to the Steering Committee for approval. This audit may be conducted by two members of the HRWG appointed by the Steering Committee. The Treasurer shall serve as a member of the Networking Committee and shall maintain current records of regular and institutional members in good standing. You may nominate any HRWG member(s) (including yourself) for the positions of Secretary and Treasurer by contacting any of the following members of the Nominations Committee (DO NOT REPLY TO THE LISTSERV.):

Steve Roth, New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services
4 Tower Place, Albany, NY 12203

Becky Block, Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority
Statistical Analysis Center
120 South Riverside Plaza, Chicago, IL 60606

Derral Cheatwood, Director, Division of Social and Policy Science,
University of Texas at San Antonio
6900 N Loop 1604 West, San Antonio, TX 78249-0655

Kathy Heide, University of South Florida,
Department of Criminology, Sociology 107
4202 Fowler Ave., Tampa, FL 33620, 813-974-9543

Lin Huff-Corzine, Dept. of Sociology and Anthropology,
University of Central Florida,
Box 25000, Orlando, FL 32816-1360

Nominations for these positions are due by Friday, February 19, 1999. Thereafter, election forms will be distributed to the HRWG membership to vote for the positions of Secretary and Treasurer from among the nominees submitted.

Call for Registration and Papers
Homicide Research Working Group
Summer Symposium, June 27-30, 1999

The Homicide Research Working Group (HRWG) is scheduled to hold its 1999 Summer Symposium June 27th-30th at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Va., focusing on the varieties of homicide. To take advantage of the facilities -- which include taxpayer-funded dorm rooms for HRWG attendees -- FBI-related detection will be the focus of the first and last panels, with other demonstrations planned for late afternoon or early evening on Monday and/or Tuesday.

In addition, there will be at least four panels of about four papers each (depending upon relatedness of topics proposed, some may be half panels of two papers) focusing on types of homicides, preference in paper acceptance is apt to be given to papers dealing with types of homicides (femicide/violence against women; gang, guns, drugs, youth, ethnicity; multiple murders; etc.), and international/comparative homicide; in addition, there will be a panel on methodology/data. Any lethal violence- related topic is suitable for brief discussion in a works-in-progress panels planned for evening and/or for the poster session.

Deadlines for submission of papers are earlier than normal because of the registration deadline necessitated by using the FBI facilities at Quantico. Paper ideas and abstracts should be sent by March 15th to Paul H. Blackman, NRA Institute for Legislative Action, 11250 Waples Mill Road, Fairfax, VA 22030.

Potential respondents should note that this is not merely a solicitation to deliver a paper at the Summer Symposium but to attend the entire conference, from Sunday evening, June 27, through the morning of Wednesday, June 30. Just as a reminder, HRWG Summer Symposium differs from other meetings in a number of ways which may affect your desire to be considered for delivering a paper: (1) It is expected that all participants are there for the entire Symposium, not merely for the panel at which their papers are delivered. (2) All sessions are plenary; there are no break-out sessions. (3) The HRWG wants an interchange of ideas, not merely papers presented with some Q&A, so at least half of each panel's time will be for discussion. The time for oral delivery of papers is strictly limited, generally to 20 minutes to encourage discussion, five-page summaries of papers are required to be submitted by May 15 -- so they can be included in the materials to be mailed to registrants. (5) All Symposium participants, except special invited speakers, must be members of the HRWG.

Those wishing to participate in the poster session should send a proposal and abstract by May 18 to Kimberly A. Vogt, Department of Sociology and Archaeology, University of Wisconsin -- La Crosse, 435 North Hall, 1725 State Street, La Crosse, WI 54601-3742.

In order to allow the interchange traditional to HRWG, and related to the facilities at Quantico, attendance is strictly limited to 100 persons, registered on a first-come/first-served basis -- although a waiting list will be maintained in case of cancellations. Cancellations may occur because the necessity for security checks to be run by the FBI means the drop-dead registration deadline is April 1st. No-one whose membership dues ($50) and registration fee ($65) has not been paid to Cheryl Maxson by then will be eligible. Join and register with Cheryl Maxson, Social Science Research Institute, University of Southern California, University Park MC-0375, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0375

Meeting Registration Form

Workshop participation is reserved on a first come first served basis. Please send your registration as soon as possible. The deadline for registration is April 1, 1999.

The registration fee includes: Dormitory-style room and board at the FBI Academy at Quantico, although it is possible that there may be a small fee for some meals there, and that there may be an optional Dutch-treat meal off campus.

Please mail the form with $65.00 registration fee in U.S. DOLLARS ONLY, to:

Cheryl Maxson
Social Science Research Institute
University of Southern California
University Park MC-0375
Los Angeles, CA 90089-0375

Poster Session Participation Form

Poster session presentations are available to those who are interested. The deadline for poster session participation registration is May 18, 1999.

Please send the form to:

Kimberly A. Vogt, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Sociology
Dept. of Sociology/Archaeology
University of Wisconsin - La Crosse
435 North Hall
1725 State Street
La Crosse, WI 54601-3742

Minutes of Business Meetings from the June 1998 Workshop

Homicide Research Working Group Business Meeting I - June 11, 1998 Minutes

Homicide Research Working Group Business Meeting II - June 13, 1998 Minutes

Homicide Studies

Editor's Report
January 1, 1998-November 1, 1998
by Dwayne Smith

Total Manuscripts Received: 31

Decisions (N = 26*, including multiple decisions on revise and resubmits)
*Note: does not include manuscripts carried in special issues.

Accept                9
Revise & resubmit    13
Reject                4
(% accept)          (35)

Average time to decision
All decisions (N=26)      65 days
Range                 22-143 days

Current Status
2 volumes published
1 issue in press: Volume 3, #1 (February, 1999)
1 in preparation: Due December 24, 1998
Manuscripts currently accepted: 6
Manuscripts currently under review: 5

Subscription information
Individual     174
HRWG           224
Institutional   75
Foreign         48 (30 individual; 18 institutional)
Total          521

The Geography of Execution: The Capital
Punishment Quagmire in America
by Keith Harries and Derral Cheatwood, published by Rowan &
Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 1997
Submitted by Becky Block

"The perennially controversial issue of capital punishment has generated especially passionate debate in recent years. In this book, Keith Harries and Derral Cheatwood provide a geo-historical perspective on capital punishment, showing vividly the incoherencies and contradictions in policies and practices across the country. Going back to the earliest US executions, they challenge the belief that capital punishment serves as a deterrent. This book will be indispensable to anyone -- scholar, policy maker, or lay person -- who must be informed on the issue of capital punishment."

Check Out Our Web Site
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/NACJD/HRWG/index.html

Editor sought for Homicide Studies

The Homicide Research Working Group is seeking applicants for the position of Editor for the journal Homicide Studies: An Interdisciplinary & International Journal. The successful applicant will demonstrate extensive scholarship in the study of lethal violence, familiarity with the requirements placed upon the editor of a successful peer-reviewed scholarly journal, and institutional support. Interested persons are encouraged to contact the current editor, Dwayne Smith, to discuss his experience as the inaugural editor of Homicide Studies and Pam Lattimore about the procedures for applying for the position. The position is non-paying. A small annual stipend is provided to cover journal-related expenses.

Editor sought for the Homicide Research Working Group Newsletter

The HRWG is seeking an individual to assume responsibility for the Newsletter, a semi-annual publication of the HRWG. The next Editor will be an active member of HRWG, willing to contribute time and energy to keeping the membership informed about the activities of the HRWG.

Interested persons are encouraged to contact Kim Vogt about her experiences as the inaugural newsletter editor and Pam Lattimore about procedures for applying for the position. The position is non-paying. Sam Houston State University's College of Criminal Justice pays the cost of reproduction and postage of the HRWG Newsletter.

Publisher's Statement

This newsletter is published semi-annually by the Homicide Research Working Group. We carry no advertising but gladly accept both private and commercial underwriting. This issue was edited by Kim Vogt at the Univ. of Wisconsin- La Crosse, Dept. of Sociology, 435 North Hall, La Crosse, WI 54601, and Victoria Brewer at Sam Houston State University, Criminal Justice Center, Huntsville, TX 77341.

THIS ISSUE WAS PUBLISHED WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE CENTER, SAM HOUSTON STATE UNIVERSITY, HUNTSVILLE, TEXAS.

Sam Houston State's support is greatly appreciated!

If you have comments or suggestions, email the HRWG at:
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