Legal Definitions: What is Homicide?

There are a lot of crime shows on TV and they use a language that not all people know. One of the terms that continues to pop up is homicide. Criminal homicide happens when a person purposely, knowingly, and recklessly or negligently causes the death of another person. Homicide is a devastating crime that affects families all over the United States.

There are specific elements that are associated with homicidal deaths. To better understand the crime, it is important to know what the distinguished impact is on the surviving family members compared to other forms of dying. They include:
1. The intent to harm-One of the most distinguishing factors in a homicidal death is the intent of the murderer to harm the victim. This is one of the main factors that set it apart from other crimes.
2. Stigmatization-Often society will place blame on the murdered victims for their own death. This often means that the families of the victims are blamed for the murder because people tend to believe the family should have controlled the behavior that led to the death.
3. Media and public view- Co-victims are unable to grieve in a private manner because the media wants coverage of the story. This makes things very difficult because the public wants to know what happened, but the families really need privacy.
4. Criminal or juvenile justice system- Co-victims of homicide do not have a lot of support within the legal system. In the court room they often have to face the defendant and hear about the horrible details of the crime.
5. Bereavement-Traumatic grief over homicidal death is different from other forms of grief because of the intensity and its duration. Often criminal cases can take years and may not happen at all. This does not allow the closure families need in order to start the healing process.