International Journal on Criminology Volume 7, Number 2, Spring 2020 | Page 10

2019: Homicide Big Comeback in France
Alain Bauer
Professor of Criminology at the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers,
New York and Shanghai
CNAM Security Defence Intelligence Research Team
Christophe Soullez
Head of the National Observatory of Delinquency and Penal Responses
Abstract
The annual number of homicides is one of the main statistics for
criminologically characterizing a territory, be it a city, a region or a
country. It can be used to conduct situational analyses of the recent
past or, if looking at a longer time period or comparing jurisdictions,
it can be compared to the number of people living in a jurisdiction.
This gives the reference indicator for the level of violence,
the homicide rate.
The balance sheet published at the beginning of 2020 by the Ministry
of the Interior nevertheless confirms this deterioration with an
increase in the number of homicide victims (including assault and
battery followed by death) of 12.4% in one year, thus beating the
tragic record of 1983 (3,562 acts against 3,183) and becoming the
worst result since 1972 in gross numbers and the third in relation
to the population with a rate of 5.32 per 100,000 inhabitants against
5.68 in 1983 and 5.42 in 1986.
In any case, a profound return of physical violence seems to be
taking place, particularly in the West. It is being ignored, whether
voluntarily or involuntarily, or underestimated. Its causes are undoubtedly
multiple, but the increase in the number of victims cannot
be underestimated for much longer.
Keywords: France, Homicide, Violence, Statistics
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