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GlossaryCrime classifications

Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter

Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter is an FBI reporting category for willful killings under program rules. Learn how it differs from other homicide records and state charges.

Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter is an FBI crime-reporting category for the willful killing of one person by another under the program's rules. It is a statistical classification, rather than the name of one universal criminal charge. The category must be distinguished from negligent killings, justifiable homicide, medical manner-of-death findings, and court outcomes.

A reporting definition with boundaries

The FBI's NIBRS manual identifies this category separately from negligent manslaughter and justifiable homicide. Its purpose is to classify reported offenses consistently despite differences in local charging law. NCSBI explicitly explains that statistical definitions are not intended to determine charges. FBI NIBRS manual, NCSBI offense definitions

A record can be classified for reporting without a conviction or even an identified arrested person. Conversely, the court's final charge terminology may differ from the statistical category. The reader should identify which system produced the label before describing an individual case.

The term “manslaughter” is particularly easy to misread. Its presence in this combined category does not make it equivalent to every offense called manslaughter in state law.

Example

Hypothetical example: An investigation documents that a person died from another person's deliberate attack. The agency classifies the death within murder and nonnegligent manslaughter under the applicable reporting rules. The statistical extract contains no arrest or court disposition.

The extract supports describing a reported offense in that category. It does not establish that a named suspect was convicted, identify a state degree of murder, or show the final legal resolution. The classification in this example is an expressly stated premise, not a legal conclusion drawn from a brief narrative.

Common confusion

A medical examiner's homicide classification identifies a manner of death and does not itself imply criminal intent. The FBI category answers a different reporting question. The totals should not automatically be expected to match.

Attempted murder also requires care: the cited FBI manual directs that attempts to kill without a death are classified as aggravated assault for NIBRS purposes. A local attempted-murder charge therefore need not appear in this completed-killing category.

Reading a trend

Check whether the source counts victims, incidents, or cases; identify the period and later revisions. A single event can involve several deaths, and a later death can affect an earlier classification. Use a consistent source and methodology before comparison. An increase in recorded offenses is not, by itself, a count of convictions or all medical homicide classifications.

Sources