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A key issue in criminology is to account for variation in rates of violence across time and place. An important variable largely neglected in the literature is individualism. Building on theoretical ideas proposed by Durkheim, Black, and Baumgartner, we illustrate the role of increased individualism with a case study: the decline of homicide in England, 1250–1750. The qualitative historical materials we present reveal the growth of more individualized conflicts evident in less third-party partisan intervention and a reduced concern with honor. More individualized conflicts were, in turn, a product of a more individualized society, one characterized by increased social distance and mobility. As conflicts individualized they became less lethal, resulting in declining aggregate rates of homicide. Although the case study is historical, our argument has implications for understanding contemporary criminal violence. • The individualization of society helps to explain the steep decline in English homicide rates, 1250–1750. • A more individualized society tends to produce more individualized – and less violent – conflicts. • Individualized conflicts are characterized by fewer clashes between groups and fewer clashes about honor. • The degree to which conflicts are individualized can help to explain variation in contemporary rates of violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The perfect murder is a recurring theme in many works of art, high and popular. Scientific inquiry has generally overlooked the issue, though a considerable body of cross-disciplinary evidence documents wide variation in the handling of homicide in human societies. At one extreme lie those intentional homicides that result in no legal sanctions and popular praise for the killer, homicides that may be fairly termed perfect murders. But when will killers get away with murder? The present paper draws upon pure sociology to specify the conditions under which the combination of maximal legal and popular leniency for homicide occurs. Data on the killing of civilians by police in the United States and Brazil illustrates the continuum of murder perfection, with those in Brazil providing an especially close fit with the theoretical model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Criminological research consistently shows that interpersonal homicide is largely confined to low-status people. Yet, anthropological and historical materials reveal that in earlier and simpler societies homicide was found throughout the status hierarchy. Using theory developed by Donald Black, I argue that a critical factor in the decline of lethal conflict among social elites is the increased availability of legal means of handling conflict. An implication is that since a focus on modern societies and their developed legal systems yields a limited and even distorted empirical picture of lethal violence, criminologists should strive to formulate theories that are cross-cultural and historical in scope. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]