Cal State L.A. professor’s book explores male-to-male violence among ethnic minority adolescents

March 6, 2012 - PRLog -- Los Angeles, CA — Focusing on male-to-male encounters, Juvenile Homicide: Fatal Assault or Lethal Intent?, written by Cal State L.A.’s School of Social Work Professor Raquel Warley, explores the factors that dispose ethnic minority adolescent males to violence.  

Published October 2011 by LFB Scholarly Publishing, the book highlights research that utilized a multi-perspective framework that encompasses “strain theory,” “social disorganization theory,” and “subculture of violence” theory to asses structural-cultural factors that cause this type of violence.

“The preponderance of serious male-to-male violence in African American and Latino communities is not a matter of native culture. It is largely a byproduct of masculine strain that is caused by sex x race x class stratification in American society,” said Warley, who has been teaching at CSULA since 2008.

In the book, consideration is also given to crime characteristics that differentiate impulsive killing from premeditated homicide.

“In accordance with the notion of honor and coercive power in homicide transactions, it is assumed that ‘severity of outcome’ in general, and offenders’ intent, are functions of the type of weapon involved,” said Warley. “Notwithstanding, up to now, the biggest limitation in the current state of knowledge is evidence that discriminates between weapon instrumentality effect and specific intent to kill.”  

The research results also confirm theoretical predictions and empirical literature regarding the existence of male “honor contest violence,” as well as the specific intent of perpetrators to do aggravated assault versus homicide in violent male-to-male encounters involving juveniles.

More About the Author:
Warley has more than 15 years of clinical and research experience with victims and survivors of violence and offenders. She received her B.A. in forensic psychology from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in 1993. Subsequently, she earned a Master of Arts in criminal justice (John Jay College, 1995), a Master of Social Work (Hunter College, 2002), and a Master of Philosophy (City University of New York, 2006). She earned her Ph.D. at the City University of New York.


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