“While offenses like vagrancy, vandalism, and public drunkenness might or might not be defined as crimes, most forms of murder have been universally condemned and outlawed. In nearly all societies, the taking of human life outside of warfare is grounds for severe punishment and is usually recorded in death records and legal proceedings (infanticide being the main exception). For this reason, historians interested in the history of interpersonal violence have focused much attention on homicide. They have sought to answer a number of important questions: Has modern life become more or less violent than in the past? Have some countries and regions been historically more violent than others? And what conditions gave rise to greater and lesser levels of violence…”

Johnson, Marilynn S.. "Politics, the State, Crime, and Deviancy" Daily Life Online. Greenwood Publishing Group. <http://dailylife.greenwood.com/dle.aspx?k=3&x=GR3233&bc=DBDL1311&p=GR3233-1035>.