The Impact of Medical Resources on Criminally Induced Lethality: A Further Examination*

A recent addition to the literature on the ecology of homicide is the explanation offered by Doerner and Speir (1986) that the differential distribution of medical resources is partially responsible for variation in criminally induced lethality. Unfortunately, that analysis was hampered by data that did not adequately measure crucial concepts. Consequently, this study reanalyzes homicide data for Florida in conjunction with a more detailed medical data base. The results indicate that medical resources, particularly emergency transportation, do affect the distribution of criminally induced lethality.