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Entries from a little-known and recently resurrected data set were the centerpiece of the Annual Faculty Research Conference, "Learning from the Past, Living in the Present: Patterns in Chicago Homicides, 1870 to 1930," held Friday, Nov. 17.

The conference, chaired by Leigh Bienen, Northwestern Law senior lecturer, brought together historians, ethnologist, criminologist, law professors, and sociologist to analize the murders and manslaughters commited durring an extraordinary period of development in the United States.

From 1870 - 1930 the Chicago Police department kept a handwritten, chronological record of homicides in their district. Entries included the name, gender, and age of the victim, circumstances of the killing and weapon used, the relationship between the victim, and defendant and the employment and social status of the victim and defendant.

These details reflect the economic, social, cultural, and demographic changes taking place in Chicago during an era that included a major financial collapse, World War I, the rise of politically active unions, suffrage for women, and Prohibition.

The conference consisted of three panel discussions. The first panel "Seeing Through a Glass Darkly" began with an overview of major trends in the data set by Bienen and Brandon Rottinghaus, Northwestern Political Science graduate student. The panelist then presented papers and discussed patterns of these Chicago Homicides compared to contemporary times and patterns in ethnic violence and the geography of violence. Moderated by Northwestern Law professor Steven Lubet, the panel included Eric Monkkonen, Professor of History and Policy Studies, UCLA; Darnell Hawkins, Professor of Criminal Justice and head of African American Studies, University of Illinois, Chicago; Dominic Pacyga, tenured faculty of Liberal Education, Columbia College.

The second panel "Homicides from the Inside Out" focused on the social and cultural characteristics of the homicides and on the public policy impact of the legal authorities' responses.

Panel topics ranged from infanticide and children as victims to women who committed murder and legal and regulatory changes in gun availability. Moderated by Northwestern Law professor Dorothy Roberts, the panel included Michelle Oberman, law professor, Depaul University; Jeffery Adler, professor of History and Criminology, University of Florida; Gregory Weaver, assistant professor of Criminology, Auburn University; and commentator James Grossman, Dr. William M. Scholl Center for Family and Community History, the Newberry Library.

The third panel "Images of Violence: the Twenties, Prohibition, and the Mob" centered on representations of violence from this period, including Al Capone, the Saint Valentine's Day Massacre, and the Leopold and Lobe murder case, that have shaped international perceptions of the American identity and still pervade our entertainment and culture.

Moderated by Bienen, the panel included Northwestern Law professor Thomas Geraghty, director of Bluhm Legal Clinic and Associate Dean for Clinical Education, Northwestern Law School;

Charles Madigan, writer and editor, The Chicago Tribune; Edward Burke, Alderman of the 14th Ward and Chairman, Chicago City Council Committee on Finance; and commentator Harlan Wallach, documentary photographer.

"Learning from the Past, Living in the Present: Patterns in Chicago Homicides, 1870 to 1930" is the Third Annual Faculty Research Conference at the Law School. Papers from the conference and additional essays from scholars who were not able to present will be published in a Symposium Issue of the Northwestern Law Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology, Spring/Summer 2001.

The faculty conference is designed to bring leading authorities in a public forum to discuss important academic and public policy issues. The first two conferences were "The First Amendment and Economic Power" led by Martin Redish and "Rethinking the Masters of Comparative Law" led by Annelise Riles.

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