Received this article in my E mail from a fellow NY gun rights activist. Thought it would make for good discussion here. I apologize if it has been posted previously and for its length.The link is only available to tohse who have registered on the site.http://www.medscape.com/medscape/Ge.../2000/v02.n03/mgm0628.may/mgm0628.may-01.html
Original Article
When Criminals Are Shot: A Survey of Washington, DC, Jail Detainees
John P. May, MD, FACP, Medical Director, Fulton County Jail, Atlanta, Georgia
David Hemenway, PhD, Professor on Health Policy, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
Roger Oen, MPH, Medical Student, George Washington University School of Medicine and Health, Washington, DC
Khalid Pitts, MPH, Quality Assurance Coordinator, Central Detention Facility, Washington, DC
[MedGenMed, June 28, 2000. © Medscape, Inc.]
Abstract
Introduction: Criminals are at high risk of being victims of violence, but little is known about their victimization.
Methods: A screen of Washington, DC, detainees found that 1 in 4 had been wounded in events that appear unrelated to their incarceration. Extensive interviews were conducted with 79 men entering the city jail from March through June 1997; the men reported 93 prior events in which they had been shot within the past 5 years.
Results: Eighty-three percent had personally witnessed someone being shot, and 46% had a family member killed with a gun. In the incidents in which they were shot, most were victims of robberies, assaults, and crossfires. The shootings were serious -- 35% were hit by more than 1 bullet, more than 90% went to the hospital, and 40% still had some disability from the wounds. These detainees report being shot by other criminals rather than by law-abiding citizens. Ninety percent would prefer to live in a world without easy access to firearms.
Conclusion: These young men live in a violent world of gunplay. The overwhelming majority would prefer that firearms were not so readily available.
Keywords: wounds, injuries, firearms, guns, criminals
Introduction
How often are criminals shot and in what circumstances? Who shoots them? How badly are they wounded and do they seek medical care? Do they typically have permanent disabilities? There is little information about such questions.
Prior surveys have asked criminals about both crime and guns, but the questions have focused on the perpetration of crimes.[1-3] An occasional study has asked inmates about their own victimization, but investigators typically concentrate on victimization that occurred while in prison.[4] While it is known that many criminals sustain gun-related injuries,[5,6] surveys rarely seek detailed information about the criminal as potential victim.
One criminologist argues that it is not only common for criminals to be shot, but that more criminals are wounded than all noncriminals combined. He implies that the overwhelming majority of these criminals are shot by law-abiding citizens, and that very few of these wounded criminals ever seek professional medical care because doctors are often required to report the treatment of gunshot wounds to the police.[8] Evidence from respondents in the current study suggests that the vast majority of criminals actually seek and receive professional medical care.[9]
The goal of this study is to provide some empirical evidence, from the criminals themselves, about the gun violence in their lives, how often they are shot, and the circumstances of their shootings.
Methods
Male detainees entering the city jail in Washington, DC, from March through June 1997 were screened for a history of gunshot wounds. Approximately 1 in 4 had previously been shot. Extensive interviews were conducted with every third male detainee who reported a prior gunshot wound within the past 5 years, until 79 men had responded. They reported 93 incidents in which they were shot in the past 5 years. Information was collected on each of these events.
Each man completed a standardized in-person questionnaire administered by the same interviewer. For each incident, the detainee was asked approximately 40 questions about the circumstances of the prior incident, including many open-ended questions. From the open-ended description of the incident, the circumstances were placed into 7 mutually exclusive and completely inclusive categories: robbery, crossfire, assault, retaliation, argument, accident, and shot by police.
Each man was asked where the shooting occurred, the type of gun used, and whether he knew the person who shot him. Other questions asked whether, at the time of the shooting, the respondent was carrying a gun, whether he was on "high on drugs," and whether he had been drinking.
Each respondent was also asked if he went to the hospital, his length of stay in the hospital, the number of bullets that hit him, the location of the wound(s), whether bullets were still in his body, and whether the wound(s) caused any continuing disability.
Each respondent was asked about his age, education, and whether he had ever been employed.
Finally, respondents were asked for general information about their lives and beliefs: "Have you ever seen someone get shot?" "Has anyone in your family died of a gunshot wound? Explain." "Have you ever shot or shot at someone?" "Has a gun ever protected you? Explain." "Do you want to live in a society where it is: Easy to get a gun or hard to get a gun?"
Respondents did not answer all questions about all incidents. Percentages in the table exclude missing responses. An "I don't want to talk about it" response is categorized as "missing."
Results
The median age of the detainees was 24 years (see Table 1). All were African Americans. Forty-one percent had completed at least a high school education, and 75% had been employed at some time in their lives. More than 80% had personally seen someone shot and 46% had a family member die due to a gunshot wound. Almost half claimed to have been protected by a gun -- sometimes by an armed friend. The vast majority would prefer to live in a society where it is hard rather than easy to get a gun.
In the incidents in which respondents were shot, 92% occurred outside anyone's home and more than two thirds occurred on the street (see Table 2). Ninety-seven percent were shot with a handgun and 69% were shot by strangers. More than a quarter admitted to being high on drugs during the incident, and 28% had been drinking. Only 9% reported having a gun on them when shot.
More than one third reported being hit by more than 1 bullet in the incident; and more than half were hit in the head or torso. More than 90% went to the hospital. More than half of these individuals stayed overnight in the hospital and a third stayed longer than a week. A third still had a bullet in their body, and 40% reported a continuing disability due to their wound.
The respondents virtually all indicated that they were the victims: 24% were victims of robbery, 21% were caught in a crossfire, 21% were assaulted, 18% were shot in retaliation for previous incidents, 6% were in an argument, 6% were unintentional shootings, and the police shot 4%. A narrative of a sample of the incidents follows.
Robbery
(a) The respondent was 17 years old when he was shot. He was high on PCP and walking down a familiar street when a stranger approached him and pulled a gun. The person asked for money, which the respondent gave him, but still the robber shot him as he ran. He was hit in the right shoulder with a .38 caliber bullet. He spent 2 days in the hospital. He believes that if he had a gun during the robbery, the robber would have killed him so that he couldn't retaliate. The shooting, however, makes him more likely to carry a gun because he believes it would protect him.
(b) The respondent was standing in an alley when he was approached by 3 strangers. They asked him for money, but he refused. He grabbed 1 of the strangers and wrestled him to the ground. He tried to run, but they pulled out guns. He was hit by 3 bullets from 2 different guns. The assaulters ran off in the other direction, and the respondent was able to flag the police, who called an ambulance.
Crossfire
The respondent was 16 years old, standing on a corner in an unfamiliar part of town near a group that was selling cocaine. He was high on PCP. Suddenly, shots started to "pour out" toward the crowd. He saw 2 or 3 people shooting guns. He started to run. It all happened so fast, but he doesn't believe that they were aiming for him. He felt "something like a rock" hit him in his leg as he ran. The bullet is still in his leg. He never went to a hospital. He has never liked guns, and had no desire to have one then, or now. He says, "I'm not into guns...I'm only into getting high." He wishes it were harder for people to get guns. His 19-year-old cousin was killed by a gunshot wound to the back of the head during an argument.
Assault
(a) *The 17-year-old respondent was in a carry-out restaurant when suddenly 3 people wearing masks began shooting at him through the windows. The glass shattered everywhere, and he tried ducking. He "faked" that he had a gun by pointing his hand, trying to get them to stop. He wished that he had his real gun, which was stashed in some bushes not too far away. He did not know who these people were. A friend who was with him did not get hit. Ten to 15 bullets were fired, but only 1 struck him in the arm. He started carrying a gun with him, in part because his arm injury made it more difficult to run fast. He said, "All these 70s babies...all they think about is guns."
(b) The respondent was 33 years old, sitting in a car, when he noticed 2 strangers in the rear view mirror. He attempted to drive away, but they started shooting. He was hit with 4 bullets in the head, 1 in the neck, and 1 in the hand. He spent 2 weeks in the hospital. He believes they were trying to shoot his brother, who was also in the car. He frequently has flashbacks about the event, and wishes he had his gun with him that evening to shoot back. When he was younger, he was frequently "caught up with guns and stuff" and admits to shooting at other people. Another brother of his had been shot in the back by police and died at age 29.
Retaliation
(a)* The respondent was 18 years old, walking down a familiar street, when 3 people came by in a car. He knew 1 of them as the brother of a woman who said she was pregnant with his baby. Suddenly all 3 pulled out guns and started shooting at him. Many bullets were fired, and 1 hit him in the back. He went to the hospital for treatment, but the wound was treated in the emergency room and he was released. He believes that if he had been carrying a gun, they would have been more likely to have "gotten him good."
(b) The respondent was 17 years old when he got into a pushing and shoving fight with other youth at a "go-go club." The next day, he and a friend were walking to a car from a basketball tournament at his school. About 10 individuals approached them, and 1 pulled out a .357 Magnum and shot him in the chest. His friend put him in a car and drove him to the hospital. He had a collapsed lung and spent more than a month in the hospital.
Argument
(a) The respondent was 22 years old and on the street. He started arguing with a guy he didn't know over a girl. He says it was "something real small, real dumb." They started pushing each other and the shooter pulled out an automatic handgun and shot him twice in the abdomen. He spent 3 weeks in the hospital and had major surgery. Now his digestive system is "messed up," and it is difficult for him to use the bathroom. He started carrying a gun after this event "because someone almost took my life. I need it for protection." He stated that his cousin retaliated and shot the person who had shot him.
(b) The respondent was 17 years old and trying to buy ice cream at an ice cream truck when he was approached by a person he recognized, but did not know very well. This person began name calling, and it escalated into an argument. He was shot at close range with a .38 caliber handgun. He was hit by 3 bullets in the neck, chest, and leg. He states he was "dead on arrival" at the hospital but recovered after open heart surgery. The event left him with a partial stroke and weakness on one side of his body. He is now 19 years old and believes the threat of being shot by the police causes many people to carry guns.
Unintentional
(a)* The respondent was 18 years old and was carrying a 9-mm semiautomatic handgun in his pants pocket. A "dude" appeared from around the corner and the respondent felt threatened. He grabbed for his gun, but it went off in his pocket. The bullet went into his right leg as the man ran away. He decided not to go to the hospital. He cleaned the wound himself at home, covered it with an ace bandage, and used a cane for walking. Four months later, the bullet came close to the surface, and he cut it out with a razor blade. The experience made him decide not to carry the gun anymore.
(b) The respondent was 47 years old when he was shot unintentionally by his brother. The respondent is addicted to heroin, and he and his brother were outside. They began arguing because the respondent wanted to get some drugs. His brother had a gun and tried to scare him by shooting into the ground. The bullet ricocheted from the concrete and hit him. The bullet destroyed part of his stomach. He spent 40 days in the hospital and continues to have digestive problems.
Police
(a) The respondent was shot by the police when he was 25 years old. He was in an alley with someone who had a gun and was shooting it in the air. The respondent claims that he did not have a gun. The police came and shone a flashlight on him and shot him. He was hit once in the leg with a bullet from a 9-mm. He stayed in the hospital for 4 days under police custody. He says the incident makes him less likely to trust people because he believes the police were wrong for shooting him. He says he is now more likely to carry a gun for protection.
(b) The respondent was 20 years old and in an argument. Someone called the police, and the respondent fled, with a gun in his hand. Two officers chased him, and 1 fired a shot that hit him in the leg. It missed the bone, and he spent less than a day in the hospital.
* The same individual, who was shot on 3 separate occasions.
Discussion
Jail detainees are individuals held in custody awaiting adjudication on criminal charges. They are rarely found not guilty of all current charges and they frequently have extensive prior criminal records. For example, a study of over 500 detainees in the Cook County Department of Corrections in 1994 found that 79% of detainees had previously been in jail. That figure rose to 91% among those who had previously been shot.[5] The vast majority of men in this study can reasonably be classified as criminals.
The study of detainees in Cook County found that 26% had previously been shot.[5] Similarly, in this study it was found that 1 in 4 of the Washington, DC, detainees had been wounded prior to their incarceration. These results are also similar to the Cook County study in other respects. For example, 18% of Cook County detainees reported to the interviewers that they had been using drugs when they were shot; another 24% recalled having drunk alcohol before the shooting. And as in this study, the majority reported being shot by a stranger.[5]
The young male detainees in this study live in a violent world, one in which criminal gunplay is common. For example, more than 80% have personally witnessed someone being shot, and almost half have had a family member killed with a gun.
Other studies have also found high levels of victimization among prisoners. In a study of over 800 male serious offenders incarcerated in juvenile correctional facilities in 6 states, 84% reported having been threatened with a gun or shot at during their lives.[8] A study of over 2000 adult male arrestees in 11 cities found that 60% had been threatened with a gun, 42% had been shot at, and 21% injured by gunshot.[10]
One of the most cited self-report surveys of both criminals and guns asked questions of over 1800 inmates serving time in state prisons in 1982.[2] The study underrepresented incarcerated juveniles and first-time offenders. Half of the inmates reported that they never carried a gun, 10% said they carried only when they intended to commit a crime, 25% carried in certain situations, and 15% said they made it a practice to carry a gun more or less all the time.
That study focused on the crimes that had been committed by these inmates rather than examining these men as potential victims. Still, among the half of those who reported ever carrying a gun, 50% had gotten into bar fights, 40% had been stabbed, and 52% had been shot at. Most appear to have acquired and carried guns "for their own self-protection in what is clearly a hostile and violent environment."[2] The authors conclude: "Violence, clearly, was very much an integral part of the daily lives of these men -- and this was as true on days when they were not committing crimes as on the days when they were."[2]
The conclusions of this study are similar. While the large majority of respondents are probably criminals, they undoubtedly spend the overwhelming majority of their time acting nonviolently, and it seems that most of the time they do not carry guns. Unfortunately for them, they live in a dangerous community with a lot of shootings. When they are shot, it is not surprising that it is usually at a time when they are not perpetrating a planned crime or carrying a gun.
They report being shot largely because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Most were victims of robberies, assaults, and crossfires. They may not be completely innocent, as when they were shot during a retaliation for a perceived wrong, or during an argument, or through their own carelessness. But none report being shot by victims during the commission of a crime (although 4% were shot by police during suspicious or criminal activity).
In this study, the authors did not ask about whether the shooting incident had anything to do with the reason the respondent was currently being detained, nor did they ascertain the charge against the individual. But from the description of the event, and how many years ago it occurred, they surmised that few events were related to the reason for incarceration.
The incidents in which respondents were shot almost all took place on the street, in a car, or in a store/tavern. Getting shot in a home was relatively rare. These criminals were not shot by citizens protecting their homes against burglars, robbers, or violent invaders.
The shootings were serious -- more than one third of respondents were hit by more than 1 bullet, more than half were hit in the head or torso, and almost 40% still had some disability from the wounds.
Although they have access to firearms, and guns have been used to protect most of them at one time or another, the overwhelming majority of these criminals would prefer to live in a society where it is difficult rather than easy to get a gun. The vast majority of inner city junior high school and high school students also want to live in a world with fewer guns.[11] Unfortunately, in the United States, inner city youth, whether or not they are criminals, live in a dangerous environment where access to guns is easy, and they and their families often find themselves the victims of gun violence.
The fact that this study concerns only 1 area, a city -- Washington, DC -- and involves gunshot wound victims who are exclusively young African Americans, limits the generalizability of the results. Yet it is not unusual that most urban gunshot wound victims are young men. The Massachusetts Weapon-Related Injury Surveillance System, for example, found that, in 1994, 74% of individuals seeking treatment for gunshot wounds in Boston were ages 25 and under.[12]
Probably the most important limitation of this study is that the results depend entirely on self-report. However, the respondents were interviewed by medical rather than criminal justice personnel. Identifiable information was never shared with law enforcement personnel or anyone else. No questions were asked about the date, exact location, or the names of others involved in the prior incident, an incident that might have occurred up to 5 years in the past. The vast majority of incidents appear to have had nothing to do with why the respondents were being detained. The respondents thus had no reason to think that telling the truth would hurt them in any way; many were not afraid to admit being "high on drugs" during the shooting. Other studies have accepted as reasonably valid answers to questions about prior criminal acts where respondents might have had some reason to mislead[1-3]; in this study, questions only dealt with prior incidents in which the respondent was the one shot.
The results of this study are consistent with other studies that suggest that it is common for criminals to be shot. But this study found that these inner-city males are rarely wounded by "law-abiding citizens" who are defending themselves against criminal misconduct. Instead, the respondents report being shot by other criminals -- who also live in a world filled with gun violence. These detainees would be better off, and prefer, to live in a world without such easy access to firearms.
This small study should be replicated with other types of criminals in other geographic settings.
Acknowledgements
Dr. Hemenway received support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Joyce Foundation, and the Open Society Institute.
Table 1. Respondent Characteristics
(N = 79) (Percentages exclude missing data for each category.)
Median age (n = 75) 24
African American (n = 79) 100%
High school education or more (n = 73) 41%
Ever employed (n = 72) 75%
Gun ever protected you? (n = 71) 48%
Ever seen someone get shot? (n = 71) 83%
Anyone in family died of gunshot? (n = 72) 46%
Of all detainees:
Mother or father shot and died 4%
Brother or sister 10%
Cousin 18%
Grandfather, uncle, nephew 14%
Want to live in a society where it is: (n = 70)
Easy to get a gun 7%
Hard to get a gun 90%
Table 2. Incidents when Shot
(N = 93) (Percentages exclude missing data for each category.)
Type of Incident (n = 90)
Robbery 24%
Crossfire 21%
Assault 21%
Retaliation 18%
Argument 6%
Accident 6%
Police 4%
Location of Incident (n = 89)
Own home 2%
Another home 6%
In store or tavern 7%
In car 16%
In alley or street 69%
Shot with handgun (n = 76) 97%
Shooter an unrecognized stranger (n = 90) 69%
Hit with > 1 bullet (n = 88) 35%
Hit in head or torso (n = 87) 54%
Bullet(s) still in body (n = 89) 34%
Carrying gun when shot (n = 90) 8%
High on drugs when shot (n = 90) 28%
Had been drinking (n = 90) 28%
Hospital length of stay (n = 90)
Did not go to hospital 8%
< 1 day 43%
1-7 days 14%
> 1 week 34%
Current disability due to wound (n = 90) 40%
References
1. Chaiken JM, Chaiken MR. Varieties of Criminal Behavior. Washington, DC: National Institute of Justice, R-2814-NIJ; 1982.
2. Wright JD, Rossi PH. Armed and Considered Dangerous: A Survey of Felons and Their Firearms. New York: Aldine de Gruyter; 1986.
3. Beck A, Gilliard D, Greenfield L, et al. Survey of State Prison Inmates, 1991. Washington, DC: US Bureau of Justice Statistics, NCJ-136949; 1993.
4. Cooley D. Criminal victimization in male federal prisons. Can J Criminology. 1993; 479-495.
5. May JP, Ferguson MG, Ferguson R, Cronin K. Prior nonfatal firearm injuries in detainees of a large urban jail. J Health Care Poor Underserved. 1995;6:162-176.
6. McLaughlin CR, Reiner SM, Smith BW, et al. Firearm injuries among Virginia drug traffickers, 1992 through 1994. Am J Public Health. 1996;86:751.
7. Kleck G. Targeting Guns: Firearms and Their Control. New York: Aldine de Gruyter; 1997.
8. Sheley JF, Wright JD. Gun acquisition and possession in selected juvenile samples. Research in Brief. Washington, DC: National Institute of Justice; 1993.
9. May J, Hemenway D, Oen R, Pitts K. Medical care solicitation by criminals with gunshot wound injuries: A survey of Washington DC jail detainees. J Trauma. 2000;48:130-132.
10. Decker S, Pennell S. Arrestees and guns: Monitoring the illegal market. Research Preview. Washington, DC: National Institute of Justice; 1995.
11. Hemenway D, Prothrow-Stith D, Bergstein JM, et al. Gun carrying among adolescents. Law Contemp Problems. 1996;59:39-53.
12. Weapon-Related Injury Surveillance System. Violent Firearm Injuries Among Boston Residents, 1994. Massachusetts Department of Health; 1994.
Geoff Ross
Original Article
When Criminals Are Shot: A Survey of Washington, DC, Jail Detainees
John P. May, MD, FACP, Medical Director, Fulton County Jail, Atlanta, Georgia
David Hemenway, PhD, Professor on Health Policy, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
Roger Oen, MPH, Medical Student, George Washington University School of Medicine and Health, Washington, DC
Khalid Pitts, MPH, Quality Assurance Coordinator, Central Detention Facility, Washington, DC
[MedGenMed, June 28, 2000. © Medscape, Inc.]
Abstract
Introduction: Criminals are at high risk of being victims of violence, but little is known about their victimization.
Methods: A screen of Washington, DC, detainees found that 1 in 4 had been wounded in events that appear unrelated to their incarceration. Extensive interviews were conducted with 79 men entering the city jail from March through June 1997; the men reported 93 prior events in which they had been shot within the past 5 years.
Results: Eighty-three percent had personally witnessed someone being shot, and 46% had a family member killed with a gun. In the incidents in which they were shot, most were victims of robberies, assaults, and crossfires. The shootings were serious -- 35% were hit by more than 1 bullet, more than 90% went to the hospital, and 40% still had some disability from the wounds. These detainees report being shot by other criminals rather than by law-abiding citizens. Ninety percent would prefer to live in a world without easy access to firearms.
Conclusion: These young men live in a violent world of gunplay. The overwhelming majority would prefer that firearms were not so readily available.
Keywords: wounds, injuries, firearms, guns, criminals
Introduction
How often are criminals shot and in what circumstances? Who shoots them? How badly are they wounded and do they seek medical care? Do they typically have permanent disabilities? There is little information about such questions.
Prior surveys have asked criminals about both crime and guns, but the questions have focused on the perpetration of crimes.[1-3] An occasional study has asked inmates about their own victimization, but investigators typically concentrate on victimization that occurred while in prison.[4] While it is known that many criminals sustain gun-related injuries,[5,6] surveys rarely seek detailed information about the criminal as potential victim.
One criminologist argues that it is not only common for criminals to be shot, but that more criminals are wounded than all noncriminals combined. He implies that the overwhelming majority of these criminals are shot by law-abiding citizens, and that very few of these wounded criminals ever seek professional medical care because doctors are often required to report the treatment of gunshot wounds to the police.[8] Evidence from respondents in the current study suggests that the vast majority of criminals actually seek and receive professional medical care.[9]
The goal of this study is to provide some empirical evidence, from the criminals themselves, about the gun violence in their lives, how often they are shot, and the circumstances of their shootings.
Methods
Male detainees entering the city jail in Washington, DC, from March through June 1997 were screened for a history of gunshot wounds. Approximately 1 in 4 had previously been shot. Extensive interviews were conducted with every third male detainee who reported a prior gunshot wound within the past 5 years, until 79 men had responded. They reported 93 incidents in which they were shot in the past 5 years. Information was collected on each of these events.
Each man completed a standardized in-person questionnaire administered by the same interviewer. For each incident, the detainee was asked approximately 40 questions about the circumstances of the prior incident, including many open-ended questions. From the open-ended description of the incident, the circumstances were placed into 7 mutually exclusive and completely inclusive categories: robbery, crossfire, assault, retaliation, argument, accident, and shot by police.
Each man was asked where the shooting occurred, the type of gun used, and whether he knew the person who shot him. Other questions asked whether, at the time of the shooting, the respondent was carrying a gun, whether he was on "high on drugs," and whether he had been drinking.
Each respondent was also asked if he went to the hospital, his length of stay in the hospital, the number of bullets that hit him, the location of the wound(s), whether bullets were still in his body, and whether the wound(s) caused any continuing disability.
Each respondent was asked about his age, education, and whether he had ever been employed.
Finally, respondents were asked for general information about their lives and beliefs: "Have you ever seen someone get shot?" "Has anyone in your family died of a gunshot wound? Explain." "Have you ever shot or shot at someone?" "Has a gun ever protected you? Explain." "Do you want to live in a society where it is: Easy to get a gun or hard to get a gun?"
Respondents did not answer all questions about all incidents. Percentages in the table exclude missing responses. An "I don't want to talk about it" response is categorized as "missing."
Results
The median age of the detainees was 24 years (see Table 1). All were African Americans. Forty-one percent had completed at least a high school education, and 75% had been employed at some time in their lives. More than 80% had personally seen someone shot and 46% had a family member die due to a gunshot wound. Almost half claimed to have been protected by a gun -- sometimes by an armed friend. The vast majority would prefer to live in a society where it is hard rather than easy to get a gun.
In the incidents in which respondents were shot, 92% occurred outside anyone's home and more than two thirds occurred on the street (see Table 2). Ninety-seven percent were shot with a handgun and 69% were shot by strangers. More than a quarter admitted to being high on drugs during the incident, and 28% had been drinking. Only 9% reported having a gun on them when shot.
More than one third reported being hit by more than 1 bullet in the incident; and more than half were hit in the head or torso. More than 90% went to the hospital. More than half of these individuals stayed overnight in the hospital and a third stayed longer than a week. A third still had a bullet in their body, and 40% reported a continuing disability due to their wound.
The respondents virtually all indicated that they were the victims: 24% were victims of robbery, 21% were caught in a crossfire, 21% were assaulted, 18% were shot in retaliation for previous incidents, 6% were in an argument, 6% were unintentional shootings, and the police shot 4%. A narrative of a sample of the incidents follows.
Robbery
(a) The respondent was 17 years old when he was shot. He was high on PCP and walking down a familiar street when a stranger approached him and pulled a gun. The person asked for money, which the respondent gave him, but still the robber shot him as he ran. He was hit in the right shoulder with a .38 caliber bullet. He spent 2 days in the hospital. He believes that if he had a gun during the robbery, the robber would have killed him so that he couldn't retaliate. The shooting, however, makes him more likely to carry a gun because he believes it would protect him.
(b) The respondent was standing in an alley when he was approached by 3 strangers. They asked him for money, but he refused. He grabbed 1 of the strangers and wrestled him to the ground. He tried to run, but they pulled out guns. He was hit by 3 bullets from 2 different guns. The assaulters ran off in the other direction, and the respondent was able to flag the police, who called an ambulance.
Crossfire
The respondent was 16 years old, standing on a corner in an unfamiliar part of town near a group that was selling cocaine. He was high on PCP. Suddenly, shots started to "pour out" toward the crowd. He saw 2 or 3 people shooting guns. He started to run. It all happened so fast, but he doesn't believe that they were aiming for him. He felt "something like a rock" hit him in his leg as he ran. The bullet is still in his leg. He never went to a hospital. He has never liked guns, and had no desire to have one then, or now. He says, "I'm not into guns...I'm only into getting high." He wishes it were harder for people to get guns. His 19-year-old cousin was killed by a gunshot wound to the back of the head during an argument.
Assault
(a) *The 17-year-old respondent was in a carry-out restaurant when suddenly 3 people wearing masks began shooting at him through the windows. The glass shattered everywhere, and he tried ducking. He "faked" that he had a gun by pointing his hand, trying to get them to stop. He wished that he had his real gun, which was stashed in some bushes not too far away. He did not know who these people were. A friend who was with him did not get hit. Ten to 15 bullets were fired, but only 1 struck him in the arm. He started carrying a gun with him, in part because his arm injury made it more difficult to run fast. He said, "All these 70s babies...all they think about is guns."
(b) The respondent was 33 years old, sitting in a car, when he noticed 2 strangers in the rear view mirror. He attempted to drive away, but they started shooting. He was hit with 4 bullets in the head, 1 in the neck, and 1 in the hand. He spent 2 weeks in the hospital. He believes they were trying to shoot his brother, who was also in the car. He frequently has flashbacks about the event, and wishes he had his gun with him that evening to shoot back. When he was younger, he was frequently "caught up with guns and stuff" and admits to shooting at other people. Another brother of his had been shot in the back by police and died at age 29.
Retaliation
(a)* The respondent was 18 years old, walking down a familiar street, when 3 people came by in a car. He knew 1 of them as the brother of a woman who said she was pregnant with his baby. Suddenly all 3 pulled out guns and started shooting at him. Many bullets were fired, and 1 hit him in the back. He went to the hospital for treatment, but the wound was treated in the emergency room and he was released. He believes that if he had been carrying a gun, they would have been more likely to have "gotten him good."
(b) The respondent was 17 years old when he got into a pushing and shoving fight with other youth at a "go-go club." The next day, he and a friend were walking to a car from a basketball tournament at his school. About 10 individuals approached them, and 1 pulled out a .357 Magnum and shot him in the chest. His friend put him in a car and drove him to the hospital. He had a collapsed lung and spent more than a month in the hospital.
Argument
(a) The respondent was 22 years old and on the street. He started arguing with a guy he didn't know over a girl. He says it was "something real small, real dumb." They started pushing each other and the shooter pulled out an automatic handgun and shot him twice in the abdomen. He spent 3 weeks in the hospital and had major surgery. Now his digestive system is "messed up," and it is difficult for him to use the bathroom. He started carrying a gun after this event "because someone almost took my life. I need it for protection." He stated that his cousin retaliated and shot the person who had shot him.
(b) The respondent was 17 years old and trying to buy ice cream at an ice cream truck when he was approached by a person he recognized, but did not know very well. This person began name calling, and it escalated into an argument. He was shot at close range with a .38 caliber handgun. He was hit by 3 bullets in the neck, chest, and leg. He states he was "dead on arrival" at the hospital but recovered after open heart surgery. The event left him with a partial stroke and weakness on one side of his body. He is now 19 years old and believes the threat of being shot by the police causes many people to carry guns.
Unintentional
(a)* The respondent was 18 years old and was carrying a 9-mm semiautomatic handgun in his pants pocket. A "dude" appeared from around the corner and the respondent felt threatened. He grabbed for his gun, but it went off in his pocket. The bullet went into his right leg as the man ran away. He decided not to go to the hospital. He cleaned the wound himself at home, covered it with an ace bandage, and used a cane for walking. Four months later, the bullet came close to the surface, and he cut it out with a razor blade. The experience made him decide not to carry the gun anymore.
(b) The respondent was 47 years old when he was shot unintentionally by his brother. The respondent is addicted to heroin, and he and his brother were outside. They began arguing because the respondent wanted to get some drugs. His brother had a gun and tried to scare him by shooting into the ground. The bullet ricocheted from the concrete and hit him. The bullet destroyed part of his stomach. He spent 40 days in the hospital and continues to have digestive problems.
Police
(a) The respondent was shot by the police when he was 25 years old. He was in an alley with someone who had a gun and was shooting it in the air. The respondent claims that he did not have a gun. The police came and shone a flashlight on him and shot him. He was hit once in the leg with a bullet from a 9-mm. He stayed in the hospital for 4 days under police custody. He says the incident makes him less likely to trust people because he believes the police were wrong for shooting him. He says he is now more likely to carry a gun for protection.
(b) The respondent was 20 years old and in an argument. Someone called the police, and the respondent fled, with a gun in his hand. Two officers chased him, and 1 fired a shot that hit him in the leg. It missed the bone, and he spent less than a day in the hospital.
* The same individual, who was shot on 3 separate occasions.
Discussion
Jail detainees are individuals held in custody awaiting adjudication on criminal charges. They are rarely found not guilty of all current charges and they frequently have extensive prior criminal records. For example, a study of over 500 detainees in the Cook County Department of Corrections in 1994 found that 79% of detainees had previously been in jail. That figure rose to 91% among those who had previously been shot.[5] The vast majority of men in this study can reasonably be classified as criminals.
The study of detainees in Cook County found that 26% had previously been shot.[5] Similarly, in this study it was found that 1 in 4 of the Washington, DC, detainees had been wounded prior to their incarceration. These results are also similar to the Cook County study in other respects. For example, 18% of Cook County detainees reported to the interviewers that they had been using drugs when they were shot; another 24% recalled having drunk alcohol before the shooting. And as in this study, the majority reported being shot by a stranger.[5]
The young male detainees in this study live in a violent world, one in which criminal gunplay is common. For example, more than 80% have personally witnessed someone being shot, and almost half have had a family member killed with a gun.
Other studies have also found high levels of victimization among prisoners. In a study of over 800 male serious offenders incarcerated in juvenile correctional facilities in 6 states, 84% reported having been threatened with a gun or shot at during their lives.[8] A study of over 2000 adult male arrestees in 11 cities found that 60% had been threatened with a gun, 42% had been shot at, and 21% injured by gunshot.[10]
One of the most cited self-report surveys of both criminals and guns asked questions of over 1800 inmates serving time in state prisons in 1982.[2] The study underrepresented incarcerated juveniles and first-time offenders. Half of the inmates reported that they never carried a gun, 10% said they carried only when they intended to commit a crime, 25% carried in certain situations, and 15% said they made it a practice to carry a gun more or less all the time.
That study focused on the crimes that had been committed by these inmates rather than examining these men as potential victims. Still, among the half of those who reported ever carrying a gun, 50% had gotten into bar fights, 40% had been stabbed, and 52% had been shot at. Most appear to have acquired and carried guns "for their own self-protection in what is clearly a hostile and violent environment."[2] The authors conclude: "Violence, clearly, was very much an integral part of the daily lives of these men -- and this was as true on days when they were not committing crimes as on the days when they were."[2]
The conclusions of this study are similar. While the large majority of respondents are probably criminals, they undoubtedly spend the overwhelming majority of their time acting nonviolently, and it seems that most of the time they do not carry guns. Unfortunately for them, they live in a dangerous community with a lot of shootings. When they are shot, it is not surprising that it is usually at a time when they are not perpetrating a planned crime or carrying a gun.
They report being shot largely because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Most were victims of robberies, assaults, and crossfires. They may not be completely innocent, as when they were shot during a retaliation for a perceived wrong, or during an argument, or through their own carelessness. But none report being shot by victims during the commission of a crime (although 4% were shot by police during suspicious or criminal activity).
In this study, the authors did not ask about whether the shooting incident had anything to do with the reason the respondent was currently being detained, nor did they ascertain the charge against the individual. But from the description of the event, and how many years ago it occurred, they surmised that few events were related to the reason for incarceration.
The incidents in which respondents were shot almost all took place on the street, in a car, or in a store/tavern. Getting shot in a home was relatively rare. These criminals were not shot by citizens protecting their homes against burglars, robbers, or violent invaders.
The shootings were serious -- more than one third of respondents were hit by more than 1 bullet, more than half were hit in the head or torso, and almost 40% still had some disability from the wounds.
Although they have access to firearms, and guns have been used to protect most of them at one time or another, the overwhelming majority of these criminals would prefer to live in a society where it is difficult rather than easy to get a gun. The vast majority of inner city junior high school and high school students also want to live in a world with fewer guns.[11] Unfortunately, in the United States, inner city youth, whether or not they are criminals, live in a dangerous environment where access to guns is easy, and they and their families often find themselves the victims of gun violence.
The fact that this study concerns only 1 area, a city -- Washington, DC -- and involves gunshot wound victims who are exclusively young African Americans, limits the generalizability of the results. Yet it is not unusual that most urban gunshot wound victims are young men. The Massachusetts Weapon-Related Injury Surveillance System, for example, found that, in 1994, 74% of individuals seeking treatment for gunshot wounds in Boston were ages 25 and under.[12]
Probably the most important limitation of this study is that the results depend entirely on self-report. However, the respondents were interviewed by medical rather than criminal justice personnel. Identifiable information was never shared with law enforcement personnel or anyone else. No questions were asked about the date, exact location, or the names of others involved in the prior incident, an incident that might have occurred up to 5 years in the past. The vast majority of incidents appear to have had nothing to do with why the respondents were being detained. The respondents thus had no reason to think that telling the truth would hurt them in any way; many were not afraid to admit being "high on drugs" during the shooting. Other studies have accepted as reasonably valid answers to questions about prior criminal acts where respondents might have had some reason to mislead[1-3]; in this study, questions only dealt with prior incidents in which the respondent was the one shot.
The results of this study are consistent with other studies that suggest that it is common for criminals to be shot. But this study found that these inner-city males are rarely wounded by "law-abiding citizens" who are defending themselves against criminal misconduct. Instead, the respondents report being shot by other criminals -- who also live in a world filled with gun violence. These detainees would be better off, and prefer, to live in a world without such easy access to firearms.
This small study should be replicated with other types of criminals in other geographic settings.
Acknowledgements
Dr. Hemenway received support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Joyce Foundation, and the Open Society Institute.
Table 1. Respondent Characteristics
(N = 79) (Percentages exclude missing data for each category.)
Median age (n = 75) 24
African American (n = 79) 100%
High school education or more (n = 73) 41%
Ever employed (n = 72) 75%
Gun ever protected you? (n = 71) 48%
Ever seen someone get shot? (n = 71) 83%
Anyone in family died of gunshot? (n = 72) 46%
Of all detainees:
Mother or father shot and died 4%
Brother or sister 10%
Cousin 18%
Grandfather, uncle, nephew 14%
Want to live in a society where it is: (n = 70)
Easy to get a gun 7%
Hard to get a gun 90%
Table 2. Incidents when Shot
(N = 93) (Percentages exclude missing data for each category.)
Type of Incident (n = 90)
Robbery 24%
Crossfire 21%
Assault 21%
Retaliation 18%
Argument 6%
Accident 6%
Police 4%
Location of Incident (n = 89)
Own home 2%
Another home 6%
In store or tavern 7%
In car 16%
In alley or street 69%
Shot with handgun (n = 76) 97%
Shooter an unrecognized stranger (n = 90) 69%
Hit with > 1 bullet (n = 88) 35%
Hit in head or torso (n = 87) 54%
Bullet(s) still in body (n = 89) 34%
Carrying gun when shot (n = 90) 8%
High on drugs when shot (n = 90) 28%
Had been drinking (n = 90) 28%
Hospital length of stay (n = 90)
Did not go to hospital 8%
< 1 day 43%
1-7 days 14%
> 1 week 34%
Current disability due to wound (n = 90) 40%
References
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2. Wright JD, Rossi PH. Armed and Considered Dangerous: A Survey of Felons and Their Firearms. New York: Aldine de Gruyter; 1986.
3. Beck A, Gilliard D, Greenfield L, et al. Survey of State Prison Inmates, 1991. Washington, DC: US Bureau of Justice Statistics, NCJ-136949; 1993.
4. Cooley D. Criminal victimization in male federal prisons. Can J Criminology. 1993; 479-495.
5. May JP, Ferguson MG, Ferguson R, Cronin K. Prior nonfatal firearm injuries in detainees of a large urban jail. J Health Care Poor Underserved. 1995;6:162-176.
6. McLaughlin CR, Reiner SM, Smith BW, et al. Firearm injuries among Virginia drug traffickers, 1992 through 1994. Am J Public Health. 1996;86:751.
7. Kleck G. Targeting Guns: Firearms and Their Control. New York: Aldine de Gruyter; 1997.
8. Sheley JF, Wright JD. Gun acquisition and possession in selected juvenile samples. Research in Brief. Washington, DC: National Institute of Justice; 1993.
9. May J, Hemenway D, Oen R, Pitts K. Medical care solicitation by criminals with gunshot wound injuries: A survey of Washington DC jail detainees. J Trauma. 2000;48:130-132.
10. Decker S, Pennell S. Arrestees and guns: Monitoring the illegal market. Research Preview. Washington, DC: National Institute of Justice; 1995.
11. Hemenway D, Prothrow-Stith D, Bergstein JM, et al. Gun carrying among adolescents. Law Contemp Problems. 1996;59:39-53.
12. Weapon-Related Injury Surveillance System. Violent Firearm Injuries Among Boston Residents, 1994. Massachusetts Department of Health; 1994.
Geoff Ross