FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 14, 2006
CONTACT: Tom Hanley, Public Relations Director
860.545.9954 or pager 860.220.3562 

"CCMC STUDY SHOWS MORE VIOLENT DEATHS BY SUICIDE THAN HOMICIDE"

That there were nearly three times as many suicide deaths as homicide deaths in Connecticut in 2004 points to a hidden public health problem according to a new report published this week by the Violence Prevention Program at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center.

Kevin Borrup, JD, MPA, Director of the Violence Prevention Program, presented the report on the Connecticut Violent Injury Statistics System, (CVISS)  at a State Capitol briefing this week. The Violence Prevention Program, a part of the Injury Prevention Center at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, maintains the Connecticut Violent Injury Statistics System (CVISS), an information system first started in 1999 containing specific data on violent deaths (homicide and suicide) for persons of all ages.  This report shows trends and comparisons across age, gender, race, ethnicity, and location for homicide and suicide deaths in 2004.

Highlights of the data include:

• There were nearly three times as many suicide deaths as homicide deaths in Connecticut.
• Rural areas had the highest suicide rate, while urban areas had the highest homicide rate.
• 72% of all homicide victims were men.
• 61% of all homicides were committed with a firearm, rising to 74% for male homicide victims.
• 63% of juvenile and young adult (under 25) homicide deaths occurred between 9 p.m. and 3 a.m.
• “Other drugs,” meaning prescription and non-prescription drugs, were detected in 40% of homicide victims and 55% of suicide deaths.  By comparison, alcohol was detected in only 28.7% of homicide victims and in 27.7% of suicide deaths.
• The cost associated with the loss of life from homicide was estimated at nearly  $400 million in Connecticut in 2004.

Data for the report was collected in cooperation with the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner analyzing 108 homicide and 296 suicide deaths in 2004.