Savannah Homicides in a Century of Change: 1896 to 1903 and 1986 to 1993

This study examines homicides in two 8-year periods, 90 years apart, in Savannah, Georgia, using pre-UCR homicide data from multiple public records sources for the early period and detailed police reports to augment the Uniform Crime Reports in the later period. The study finds significant changes in male homicide frequencies and rates, with Euro-American perpetrated homicides declining dramatically while Afro-American homicide rates increased somewhat between the two periods. There was also a steep decline in police use of deadly force in the later period. The Euro-American homicide data call into question the validity of the concept of a persistent "Southern Culture of Violence."