FBI data shows murders are up, and our experts are ready to help with your coverage
FBI data shows murder rates are up, with the latest figures showing a staggering 21,570 murders happening nationwide in 2020.
Dr. Kim Davies teaches a sociology of murder course at Augusta University and was recently interviewed on the topic by a local CBS affiliate.
Davies has developed the course to help educate students and get them thinking about ways they can bring awareness to the violent crime problem. Students put a tick on the sidewalk in chalk to represent every murder to offer a better understanding of the number of families affected.
“If I put that number on the board, it looks like a big number," said Davies. "But nobody really knows what that is. If we tick every mark and we say, ‘Look, that’s a victim,’ it means more to the students.” Davies also reiterates that even though this current number is probably the highest it’s ever been since she's been offering this class, it's not at an all-time high.
"Murder was higher in the '90s when I was in grad school, but it’s been going down, down, down. Hopefully it’s not a trend where we continue up, but we’re back up.” If you’re a journalist covering true crime or any other aspect of this topic, then let us help with your stories.
Davies is a sociologically trained criminologist with academic focus is on homicide and violence. Her most recent book, The Murder Book: Understanding Homicide Today, explores topics such as the increase in mass murders, the change in Stand Your Ground laws across the country and police shootings as it relates to the Black Lives Matter movement.
Davies is available to speak with media about this subject – simply click on her icon now to arrange an interview today.
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‘The Murder Book: Understanding Homicide Today’
Augusta professor’s latest book is out now The grisly details of murder and true crime fascinate Americans.
Whether it’s the current news about the horrific homicide of 22-year-old Gabby Petito, who disappeared while traveling in Wyoming with her boyfriend, Brian Laundrie, or the unsolved killing of child beauty queen JonBenét Ramsey in her home in Boulder, Colorado, almost 25 years ago, people are intrigued by murder.
People’s obsession with true crime has also taken the entertainment industry by storm, leading to numerous popular documentaries, movies about murders, television series on cold case investigations and podcasts dedicated to homicide.
The genre is so prolific that Hulu’s latest hit — Only Murders In the Building, starring Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez — centers on Upper West Side neighbors and true crime podcast fans who sleuth out a murder podcast on their own.
“Murder captures our attention,” said Dr. Kim Davies, dean of Pamplin College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, who is also a sociologically trained criminologist with an academic focus on homicide and violence. “For a lot of people, I think it’s the idea of solving a mystery. And many people who find murder so fascinating, haven’t ever seen an autopsy and they haven’t seen a death. “When I taught my Sociology of Murder class here at Augusta University, I used to take students to autopsies and it’s gruesome. It’s not like what you see on television or in the movies.” Just last month, Oxford University Press published Davies’ new book, The Murder Book: Understanding Homicide Today. Back in 2007, Prentice Hall published The Murder Book: Examining Homicide by Davies, which was the only comprehensive textbook to focus on homicide. Her new textbook explores additional topics such as the increase in mass murders, the change in Stand Your Ground laws across the country and police shootings as it relates to the Black Lives Matter movement.
“Probably the biggest difference in the two books is the chapter on mass murder,” Davies said. “Unfortunately, there have been a number of huge mass murders since the last book such as Sandy Hook, Virginia Tech and the Las Vegas shooting that killed 58 people. In fact, our society and our news media has focused on mass murders much more. “When I wrote the last book, students were fascinated by serial murder, and a lot of students still are, but now it seems like we are more focused on mass murder.” The full release about Davies’ book release is attached, and well worth the read. If you’re a journalist covering true crime or any other aspect of this fascinating topic – then let us help with your stories.
Dr. Kim Davies is a sociologically trained criminologist with academic focus is on homicide and violence. Kim is available to speak with media about this subject – simply click on her icon now to arrange an interview today.
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Biography
A graduate of The Ohio State University, Dr. Kim Davies began her academic career at Augusta University in 1996. During her tenure at Augusta University, Davies was named Outstanding Faculty Member in recognition of her excellent teaching in 2001 and in 2009, she received the Louis K. Bell Alumni Research. A sociologically trained criminologist, Davies academic focus is on homicide and violence. Her research contributions include multiple conference presentations, journal publications, and a primary text, The Murder Book: Understanding Homicide Today published by Oxford University Press in 2021. Dr. Davies was the Interim Director of Women’s Studies in 2001-2002 and the Chair of the Department of Social Sciences 2004 to 2020. She has also served as President of the Mid- South Sociological Association and President of ASU’s Phi Kappa Phi honor society, and she is currently the President of the Homicide Research Working Group.
Areas of Expertise
Gender-Based Violence
Sociology Of Homicide
Social Equality
Murder
Sociology
Homicide
Crime
Education
The Ohio State University
PhD
Sociology
1996
The Ohio State University
BA
Sociology
1988
The Ohio State University
BA
Women's Studies
1988
The Ohio State University
MA
Sociology
1990
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Affiliations
American Society of Criminology (ASC), Division on Women and Crime : Member, 1992 - Present
American Sociological Association, Committee on the Status of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender & Queer People in Sociology 2014-16 : Member, 1995 - Present
Homicide Research Working Group : President, 2018 - Present; Program Committee Co-Chair 2021; Newsletter Editor 2004-7; Multiple Committees and Member, 2002 - Present
Mid-South Sociological Association : President 2008-9, Vice-President 2005-6, Member, 1998 - 2010
Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences : Member and Multiple Committees, 1997 - 2008
Pamplin Marketing Committee : Committee Member
Masters of Public Administration Admissions Committee : Committee Member
How and why Augusta University professor wants students to visualize all 21,156 U.S. murders
Augusta Chronicle print
2024-08-28
Sometimes hearing a big number isn't enough to understand the scale of the problem it represents. That's why, every year, Kim Davies leads a unique project for her sociology of murder class at Augusta University.
Her class spent its Wednesday outside Allgood Hall on Summerville campus. They made tally marks along the sidewalk, over and over again, until they marked the 21,156 murders that took place in the U.S. in 2022. By the time they were finished, the multi-color tallies stretched across several blocks of sidewalk.
Davies said she has conducted this project for more than four years in chalk, but has used other mediums in the past. At least twice they put paper clips together. Another time they collected cans for each murder.
Augusta University hosts Class of 2027 Freshman Convocation
The Augusta Press online
2023-08-27
After an untraditional start to the school year for many incoming freshman, the result of flood damages to Oak Hall, Augusta University hosted Freshman Convocation in the Christenberry Fieldhouse on Friday, Aug. 25, following the first full week of classes.
As Class of 2027 t-shirts, pins and a special “welcome” edition of the student newspaper were distributed, first year students entered the fieldhouse and introduced themselves to several deans and university officials.
Experts Say The Pandemic Coincided With The Largest One-Year Rise In Homicide Rates
NPR radio
2021-01-04
Even with gradual reopenings, property crimes in 2020 were still much lower than the previous year, while homicides climbed significantly in 28 cities he studied - places like St. Louis, Kansas City and Milwaukee. Also, the risk of murder in neighborhoods plagued by gun violence was much higher in 2020 than in 2019. Augusta University sociologist Kim Davies says that's where so-called confrontational homicide is often the cause.
2020’s murder increase is ‘unprecedented.’ But is it a blip?
The Christian Science Monitor online
2020-12-14
After all, “murder is often mundane,” says Kim Davies, a researcher at Augusta University, usually involving people known to one another, often over insults or resentments fueled by alcohol and other drugs, the use of which have risen during the pandemic.
Davies appeared in a 2014 episode of Investigation Discovery's "Southern Fried Homicide" (titled "Directions to Hell") about Augusta-area serial killer Reinaldo Rivera. Davies sat in on Rivera's trial and contributed to the show by explaining, from a sociological standpoint, how killers find and manipulate victims.
Professor Writes the Book On Murder
The Augusta Press online
2021-11-07
Kim Davies asks her students two questions when they show up to her class on the sociology of murder for the first time.
Murder, she wrote: Augusta University professor's book examines, defines homicide
Augusta Chronicle print
2021-10-18
Dr. Kim Davies’ job can be absolute murder. But she won’t always be the first to tell you. “Sometimes I’m quiet about what I study because at a dinner party or something they all just start talking to me,” she said. “Even if I try to be quiet because I’m not always that outgoing – as a sociologist I like to sit and watch – they just start talking to me if they know I know something about murder.”
This week The Means Report takes on a rather grim topic, but it is a topic that apparently interests a lot of people. It is murder, homicide cases, investigations, serial killers. We have an expert here in town who has been examining homicide trends and people’s fascination with this topic, mass shootings and has written her second book on the subject. It’s called “The Murder Book: Understanding Homicide Today”. And the author is Dr. Kim Davies. Dr. Davies, no stranger to people in these parts. She’s also the dean of Pamplin College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences at Augusta University.
Pandemic has driven crime up, and AU experts want to know why
WRDW tv
2022-09-13
We’re learning more about the pandemic’s impact on spikes in crime.
Looking at data locally, in 2020, we saw a slight dip in total shootings from the year before. Then in 2021, shootings and aggravated assaults jumped by 22 percent.
This year, we’re on pace to have similar numbers to last year.
We went over data with Augusta University to see if there is a larger connection between the pandemic and crime.
Preparing for Medical School: How Sociology Helps Premedical Students Prepare for the MCAT and beyond
Sage Journals
Elizabeth Culatta, Melissa Powell-Williams, Kim Davies
2023-05-04
Educators have recently highlighted the importance of social science courses for students entering the medical field. This has led to the inclusion of sociological theories and concepts on the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT), a requirement for any student seeking formal medical training. Using open-ended survey data responses provided by students who recently completed the MCAT, we explore how students perceive that sociology courses prepare them for the MCAT and their lives more generally. We find that students report that their sociology courses introduced them to key concepts and laid a foundation for material assessed on the exam, but those courses could improve by aligning with the MCAT structure by prioritizing application of concepts and critically analyzing case studies. Students also reported that sociology courses helped them develop empathy and inclusivity and use their sociological imaginations, which will ultimately positively impact their careers in the medical field and lives overall.
Engaging Boys in Eradicating Gender-based Violence: A Pilot Study of a Promundo-adapted Program
MSC - Masculinities and Social Change
2015
The Brazil-based Promundo organization originated in 1997 and developed Program H to engage young men in the fight for gender equality. Research on Promundo and similar gender-transformative programs demonstrate that this type of intervention can significantly increase beliefs in gender equality and improve sexual health outcomes—pregnancy, safe sex practices, sexual and intimate partner violence, and STI and HIV transmission.
It is (More) About the Students: Faculty Motivations and Concerns Regarding Teaching Online
Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration
2014
There is increasing interest, if not demand, from universities and students for faculty to teach using online technologies. However, many faculty members are reluctant to teach online.
Small Screens and Big Streets: A Comparison of Women Police Officers on Primetime Crime Shows and in U.S. Police Departments, 1950 to 2008
Women & Criminal Justice
2014
This article utilizes a longitudinal approach to assess the visibility of women as police officers in primetime crime shows from 1950 to 2008 and compares these numbers for television to actual data on women who work as police officers in the United States. We find that as expected, annual labor force data and crime show data both indicate increases in the number of minorities and women working in the criminal justice system over time.
No Sissy Boys Here: A Content Analysis of the Representation of Masculinity in Elementary School Reading Textbooks
Sex Roles
2000
In this study, we investigate the portrayal of gender characteristics in elementary school reading textbooks. Over the past 25 years, most of the research on textbooks has focused on female roles and characteristics. In this research, we focus particularly on how males are portrayed. Using an evaluative instrument based on the Bem Sex Role Inventory, we examine first, third, and fifth grade literature textbooks. In particular, we analyze traits pertaining to masculine and feminine stereotypes. Our results show that despite publisher's guidelines and Title IX, males are still primarily portrayed in a stereotypical light. Males are overwhelming shown to be aggressive, argumentative, and competitive.
Beyond the Statistics: An Examination of Killing by Women in Three Georgia Counties
Homicide Studies
2002
In this article, we report the results of an extensive examination of the county homicide files on all the known cases ( N = 42) of homicide committed by females in Burke, Columbia, and Richmond Counties of Georgia between January 1, 1990, and September 24, 1999. We describe demographic information about victims and offenders, the victim-offender relationship, and the methods, circumstances, and roles of the accused female perpetrators. The details, which we have gathered from the files, add depth to the study, often bringing to light the more personal dynamics surrounding homicide incidents, which cannot be included in larger studies. We discuss our findings on the homicides committed by females in these less densely populated areas in light of former studies, which have focused on females in larger, more densely populated areas of the United States.
Assessing the Effects of COVID-19-Related Stay-at-Home Orders on Homicide Rates in Selected U.S. Cities
Sage Journals
Gregg Murray, Kim Davies
2022-07-15
Most U.S. states issued stay-at-home orders (SAHOs) to limit the spread of COVID-19 in 2020. These orders required people to remain in their residences except when undertaking essential activities. While SAHOs are a powerful public health tool against infectious diseases, they can have significant social and economic consequences. Grounded in general strain and routine activities theories and using interrupted time series analyses, this study assesses the effects of SAHOs on homicide rates in 10 U.S. cities. Substantive results suggest SAHOs were associated with changes in homicide rates in theoretically identifiable ways.
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