About the Center for Homicide
Research
The Center for Homicide Research is a unique,
volunteer-driven, nonprofit organization addressing the issue of homicide in
our communities. The mission of the Center
for Homicide Research is to promote greater knowledge and understanding of
the unique nature of homicide through sound empirical research, critical
analysis, and effective community partnerships.
The three-fold goals of the Center are
 | researches and analyzes homicide in the United States |
| encourage professional development, research presentation and
intellectual networking |
| develop collaborations with existing organizations and
individuals who can benefit from the Center’s information and resources |
| train and educate graduate, law and
undergraduate students about homicide and homicide prevention through
intensive internship programs |
| train law enforcement, criminologists,
and legal professionals through seminars, conferences and individualized
workshops |
| develop new tools and resources which
improve the response to and foster the prevention of homicide |
| convenes symposia and summits on
homicide and lethal violence |
| provides an environment for the creation
of intellectual ideas with creative insight on how to address homicide
in the United States |
| promotes the development and
implementation of standardized curricula and rubrics on homicide
investigation |
| fosters interagency cooperation and the
development of best-practices |
The core research is critical. Without sound information
about homicide, the community and law enforcement cannot understand, solve
and prevent all homicides. For too long, minority communities who are most
impacted by homicide and the criminal justice establishment have
functioned with incomplete or inaccurate information. The Center aims to
develop original research on homicide and use this knowledge to
develop, and assist in the creation of, new fact-based tools to more
effectively address all homicides. This includes, but is not limited to,
research briefs, research publications, compendiums of information and
resources, bibliographies, training and seminars, and so forth. The Center
also strives to act as a clearing house of promising strategies to address
the problem.
Brief History
The Center for Homicide Research was incorporated in 1999 as the Minnesota Gay
Homicide Study*. Its original focus was to research only homicide cases in
the state of Minnesota that involved Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual or Transsexual
people. In 2003, the Study expanded its focus to the
entire United States, and in January of 2004 changed its name to the Center for
Homicide Research. In July of 2007 the Board of Directors moved to further
expand the scope of the Center's work to include all varieties homicide.
In its eight-year history, the
Center has identified in excess of 3,000 GLBT homicides in the United States since
1969 and has researched and catalogued details on each case in the nation's
only research database on GLBT homicide. The Center has also
researched over 2,000 homicides in Minnesota. The Center engages in
work on all types of homicide while continuing to address homicide
among minority and disenfranchised populations.
Center staff
have delivered over 100 presentations and seminars on topics related to our
research, including the training of police officers, and have assisted law enforcement, criminal justice professionals
and members of the community in active and "cold case" homicide
investigations.
*For the purposes of the Center for Homicide Research, CHR
has adopted the usage of “gay” in accordance with the National Lesbian & Gay
Journalists Association and other organizations. “Gay” is often the simplest and
broadest term that can be used to describe members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual
and transgender community.
The term “gay homicide” refers to a homicide where the victim
is lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (GLBT); where the offender is GLBT; or
where there is a GLBT factor involved in the homicide.
