Terris M
J Public Health Policy. 1998;19(3):289-302.
The descriptive epidemiology of violence in the United States is presented. The reasons for the high homicide rates are explored by describing the historical development of violence in Colombia, a developing country with very high homicide rates, and in the United States, which has extraordinarily high homicide rates in comparison with other highly industrialized countries. The historical factors in the United States that contribute to the high violence rates include the genocide of the Indian population, the slave system, and the increasing militarization of the country's economy, ideology, and governmental policy. It is clear that "the United States is a high-violence environment," that it is indeed a violent society.
本文介绍了美国暴力行为的描述性流行病学。通过描述哥伦比亚（一个凶杀率极高的发展中国家）和美国（与其他高度工业化国家相比凶杀率异常高）暴力行为的历史发展，探究了美国凶杀率居高不下的原因。美国导致高暴力率的历史因素包括对印第安人口的种族灭绝、奴隶制度以及国家经济、意识形态和政府政策日益军事化。显然，“美国是一个高暴力环境”，它确实是一个暴力社会。
