@article{ref1,
title="Firearms' decreased role in New Jersey homicides after a mandatory sentencing law",
journal="Journal of trauma",
year="1989",
author="Abrams, W. R. and Fife, D.",
volume="29",
number="11",
pages="1548-1551",
abstract="In 1981 New Jersey adopted a law requiring a mandatory minimum prison sentence for use or possession of a firearm in a variety of crimes. New Jersey firearms homicides as a per cent of all New Jersey homicides increased from 1974 to 1980 and decreased from 1981 through 1986. No similar change was observed for homicides in the balance of the U.S. or for suicides in New Jersey or the balance of the U.S. The findings suggest an effect of the mandatory minimum sentencing law on firearms homicides.  VioLit summary:   OBJECTIVE:       The intent of this article by Fife and Abrams was to assess the effects of New Jersey's mandatory sentencing law for the possession or use of firearms in a variety of crimes.  METHODOLOGY:       The authors employed a quasi-experimental design to assess the New Jersey Graves Amendment which became effective in February of 1981 and mandated a minimum sentence of imprisonment without parole for any person who used or was in possession of a firearm when they committed murder, manslaughter, aggravated assault, kidnapping, aggravated sexual assault, aggravated criminal sexual assault, robbery or burglary. The percentage of homicides and suicides were assessed from 1974 to 1986 with data from the New Jersey department of Health's Center for Health Statistics to determine the effectiveness of the amendment.  FINDINGS/DISCUSSION:       From 1974 through 1986, 6,177 New Jersey residents died by homicide and 7,828 died by suicide. 45.8% of the homicides and 32.5% of the suicides were committed with firearms, and 92.7% of the firearm deaths were accounted for through either homicide or suicide. When the Graves Amendment became effective the slope of firearm homicides went from 0.64 +/- 1.36% per year to -2.56 +/- 1.68% per year, with a difference between slopes of -3.20 +/- 1.85% per year. Within the entire United States, however, the percentage of homicides involving firearms decreased relatively smoothly from 1974 to 1986, with a difference between slopes of 0.07% +/- 0.71% per year. The slope of firearm suicides in New Jersey went from 0.63% +/- 0.83% per year prior to the legislation, to -0.35 +/- 0.65% per year after the legislation, with a difference between slopes of -0.98 +/- 0.98% per year. For the entire United States the slope of firearm suicides went from 0.36 +/- 0.29% per year to 0.07 +/- 0.13% per year, with a difference between slopes of -0.29 +/- 0.32% per year. Therefore, the incidence of firearm homicides and suicides was substantially lower in New Jersey than in the rest of the United States after the Graves Amendment became effective.  AUTHORS' RECOMMENDATIONS:       Because firearms in New Jersey account for a smaller proportion of intentional deaths than in the larger United States, the legal efforts to reduce firearm deaths in New Jersey may not be easily generalized. Similar laws in other states should be studied, the authors argued, in order to better understand the effectiveness of firearm legislation.   (CSPV Abstract - Copyright © 1992-2007 by the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, Institute of Behavioral Science, Regents of the University of Colorado)  KW  - New Jersey KW  - 1970s KW  - 1980s KW  - Mandatory Sentencing KW  - Offender Sentencing KW  - Firearms Ownership KW  - Firearms Use Effects KW  - Firearms Carrying Effects KW  - Firearms Control KW  - Firearms Violence KW  - Correctional Decision Making KW  - Firearms Homicide KW  - Homicide Rates KW  - Homicide Offender KW  - Homicide Incidence and Prevalence KW  - Legislation Effects KW  - Criminal Justice System KW  - Juvenile Firearms Carrying KW  - Juvenile Firearms Use KW  - Juvenile Violence KW  - Juvenile Offender KW  - Adult Firearms Use KW  - Adult Firearms Carrying KW  - Adult Offender KW  - Adult Violence</p>",
language="",
issn="0022-5282",
doi="",
url="http://dx.doi.org/"
}