Although the relationship between alcohol and homicide has long been acknowledged in alcohol studies and other disciplines, little is known about the nature and operation of this connection. The federally encouraged change in laws governing the legal minimum age for the purchase of alcohol which occurred between 1976 and 1987 provides a 'natural' experiment for the evaluation of the impact of this change on homicide. Research on drunk driving by young people has demonstrated the impact of this legal change; reducing drunk driving and associated problems was one of the major motivations for these changes. However, given the often discussed connection between age and homicide, it is conceivable that increases in the minimum alcohol purchase age would have an impact on homicide. It is also known that young people have higher rates of alcohol consumption, thus increasing the possibility that homicide rates would decline in the wake of this legal change. The purpose of this research is to ascertain what impact, if any, increases in the minimum purchase age have had on homicide victimization rates among young people aged between 15 and 24, those being the upper and lower age category boundaries for cohorts whose behavior and status as drinkers were most affected during the period 1973 and 1990 as states gradually changed the minimum purchase age. Related questions to be addressed include: How do well known gender and ethnic/racial differences in both alcohol consumption and homicide operate in the context of a changing legal environment for young people? Does the impact (if any) of this legal change persist over time? How does the legal regime of alcohol control interact with the impact of changing minimum purchase age? In order to address these research questions, a data base consisting. of observations for U.S. states, cross sectionally and over time, is constructed, including indicators of alcohol control and consumption; changes in minimum purchase age; age, gender, racial/ethnic, and circumstance specific rates of homicide victimization; and a number of important predictors of homicide and alcohol consumption from previous research, covering the period 1973-1990, is analyzed using pooled cross section time series models. Results from a preliminary study which indicate that increasing minimum purchase age in the period 1976-1983 had a negative impact on certain age and circumstance specific homicide victimization rates, are also presented and discussed.
