Global Crime Rates
Introduction
Homicide identifies with a human being killing another human being, which is a criminal offence, it has been noted that criminal homicide have different definitions in different nations, with some nations including unintentional killings as part of the homicide (UNODC, 2013). The defendant’s state of mind defines if a crime is homicide. Murder in most States is considered as a direct homicide, but there are exemptions if the murder was committed by a mentally challenged person. Manslaughter is also considered as part of homicide in many jurisdictions. Suicide in most cases is not considered as homicide, but assisting another person to commit suicide is part of homicide (Nash, 2003). There is justifiable homicide and state-sanctioned homicide in the world. This paper reflects on homicide levels in Honduras and Palau (UNODC, 2013).
Main body
Global statistics on homicide indicated that Honduras has the highest levels of homicide rated at 91.6, with a count of 7,104 (Wilson, 2012). Honduras is a nation in Central America. Palau is a nation in Oceania, Micronesia. It has been noted that Palau has the least rated levels of homicides with a rating of 0.0, and a count of 0 (Wilson, 2012). The country lies in a number of islands.
Surveys indicated that there are no significant relationships between education and the levels of homicide. Homicide was mainly blamed on the dominant culture and politics in the country. In Honduras, the Maya culture is the dominant indigenous culture, which has a hand to play on the high levels of homicides. Palau is made of multicultural societies originating from Japanese, Melanesian and Micronesian. Palau has a stable political sphere, a factor that has contributed to low homicide levels (Nash, 2003).
Crime in Honduras is a major problem in the country, it has been noted that violence and crime was related to the Honduran coup detat in 2009. Economic indicators have been associated with homicide. Honduras is a small nation with a population of slightly above eight million people. The economic activities depend on minerals, tropical fruits, coffee, clothing and sugar cane. As people compete for the limited resources, cases of homicide have been rampant (Wilson, 2012). Palau has a population of people slightly above twenty thousand; it depends on fishing, tourism and subsistence agriculture which supports the population with limited competition.
High rate of homicide in Honduras is contributed by gangs, poverty and low levels of conviction and apprehension among the concerned authorities. In the recent past, men carry machetes and firearms as a way of self defense (Wilson, 2012). Tourists are among the most targeted lot. Drug trafficking and high unemployment rates have contributed to high levels of homicides in Honduras. Francisco Morazán Department is linked to dangerous ties in reflection to homicides. Civil disorder in Palau is very rare and petty crimes targets visitors and tourists (Nash, 2003). Palau is the safest nation to be in the world. Social, demographic and technological indicators influence the crime rates. Technological crimes are evenly distributed in the world as they have no geographical boundaries.
Homicides in Honduras and in Palau is related to the dominant cultures in the two nations, economic activities, competition for limited resources, population, political stability, availabilities of firearms, drugs, unemployment rates, poverty, gang activities, family violence, social isolation and prior exposure to violence among other causes (UNODC, 2013).
Conclusion
Homicide is a crime like any other, managing crime calls for collective efforts from the government and people living in the nation in dealing with the vice. The dominant culture in a nation plays a critical role in shaping the behaviors of the citizens, and that is reason why some nations have high homicide rates while other nations have low homicide rates (Nash, 2003).
References
Nash, J. R. (2003). World Encyclopedia Of Organized Crime. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Da Capo Press.
UNODC. (2013). UNODC Homicide Statistics. Retrieved August 02, 2013, from Unodc.org: http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/data-and-analysis/homicide.html
Wilson, D. A. (2012). Violent Crime: A Comparative Study of Honduras and Nicaragua. Seattle, Washington: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
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