A proactive schoolshooting incident prevention system: what matters?
Research Article
How to Cite
Karpova A.Y. A proactive schoolshooting incident prevention system: what matters?. Science. Culture. Society. 2024. Vol. 30. No. 2. P. 83-98. DOI: https://doi.org/10.19181/nko.2024.30.2.6 (in Russ.).
Abstract
Scientific research on schoolshooting has been actualized in the early 21st century, but incidents have been recorded much earlier, since the late 16th century. The article focuses on the causes and explanation of the mechanism of imitation, a significant driving force in schoolshooting. Examples of cases are given to illustrate the effect of the copycat mechanism and measures to prevent the spread of the 'copycat effect' are argued. The paper identifies the key features that unite terrorism and schoolshooting, which provide a strong case for considering schoolshooting incidents as a new type of terrorism. The similarity of schoolshooting incidents to terrorist acts is argued through the description of common characteristics, such as ritual and demonstrative nature of violence, planned and symbolic nature of violence, cultural determination, and group identification. This paper focuses not on the scientific problem of studying schoolshooting as a special phenomenon, but on the problems of creating, organizing, and managing a proactive system of schoolshooting prevention. The results of the analysis of American practice of development and application of threat assessment system to prevent schoolshooting are presented. The description of necessary elements of the complex system for prevention of schoolshooting incidents is presented, the definition of the proactive system is given.
Keywords:
schoolshooter, schoolshooting, terrorism, monitoring, database, preventive behavior, proactive system, public administration
References
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14. Maksimova N. G. Databases as an effective tool for analyzing and preventing school shooting incidents. Science. Culture. Society. 2022;28(4):44–55. (In Russ.). DOI 10.19181/nko.2022.28.4.4.
15. Muschert G. W. School shootings as mediatized violence. In: Böckler N., Seeger T., Sitzer P., Heitmeyer W. (eds) School Shootings. New York, NY: Springer; 2012. P. 265–281. DOI 10.1007/978-1-4614-5526-4_12.
16. Murray J. L. Mass media reporting and enabling of mass shootings. Cultural Studies ↔ Critical Methodologies. 2017;17(2):114–124. DOI 10.1177/1532708616679144.
17. Langman P. A guide to insider references used by school shooters and other attackers. 2020. URL: https://schoolshooters.info/sites/default/files/insider_references_1.1.pdf (accessed: 11.05.2022).
18. Maryland’s Model Policy for Behavior Threat Assessment (2018). URL: https://schoolsafety.maryland.gov/Documents/Reports-Docs/Maryland%20Model%20Policy%20for%20Behavior%20Threat%20Assessment-2018-19.pdf (accessed: 05.05.2024).
19. Cornell D., Sheras P. Guidelines for responding to student threats of violence. SoprisWest; 2006. ISBN 978-1593185022.
20. Alathari L. [et al.]. Enhancing school safety using a threat assessment model: An operational guide for preventing targeted school violence. National Threat Assessment Center; 2018. URL: https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/publications/18_0711_USSS_NTAC-Enhancing-School-Safety-Guide.pdf (accessed: 05.05.2024).
2. Katsiyannis A., Whitford D. K., Ennis R. P. Historical examination of United States intentional mass school shootings in the 20th and 21st centuries: Implications for students, schools, and society. Journal of Child and Family Studies. 2018;27(8):2562–2573. DOI 10.1007/s10826-018-1096-2.
3. Oksanen A., Kaltiala-Heino R., Holkeri E. [et al]. School shooting threats as a national phenomenon: Comparison of police reports and psychiatric reports in Finland. Journal of Scandinavian Studies in Criminology and Crime Prevention. 2015;16(2):145–159. DOI 10.1080/14043858.2015.1101823.
4. Rocque M. Exploring school rampage shootings: Research, theory, and policy. The Social Science Journal. 2012;49(3):304–313. DOI 10.1016/j.soscij.2011.11.001.
5. Kostinsky S., Bixler E., Kettl P. Threats of school violence in Pennsylvania after media coverage of the Columbine high school massacre. Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine. 2001;155(9):994–1001. DOI 10.1001/archpedi.155.9.994.
6. Kissner J. Are active shootings temporally contagious? An empirical assessment. Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology. 2016;31:48–58. DOI 10.1007/s11896-015-9163-8.
7. Lankford A. Fame-seeking rampage shooters: Initial findings and empirical predictions. Aggression and Violent Behavior. 2016;27:122–129. DOI 10.1016/j.avb.2016.02.002.
8. Langman P. Role models, contagions, and copycats: An exploration of the influence of prior killers on subsequent attacks. 2017. URL: https://schoolshooters.info/sites/default/files/role_models_2.1.pdf (accessed: 10.05.2022).
9. Karpova A. Yu., Chaikovskii D. V. “Post-Columbine effect”: stochastic terrorism. Herald of the national antiterrorism committee. 2019;(2):45–53. (In Russ.).
10. Karpova A.; Savelev A.; Maksimova N. Modeling the process of school shooters radicalization (Russian case). Social Sciences. 2021;10(12):477. DOI 10.3390/socsci10120477.
11. Karpova A. Y., Maksimova N. G. School shooting in Russia: what matters? Vlast’ (The Authority). 2021;29(1):93–108. (In Russ.). DOI 10.31171/vlast.v29i1.7920.
12. Certificate of state registration of the database No. 2022621125 RF. Results of sociological research "Skulshunting in Russia: socio-demographic data, motives, characteristics of incidents": No. 2022621020: applied. 13.05.2022: publ. 19.05.2022 / A. D. Vilnin, E. A. Zamyshevskaya, A. Yu. Karpova [et al]; Tomsk Polytechnic University. (In Russ.).
13. Certificate of state registration of computer programme No. 2023660578 RF. Interactive map of skulshuting: No. 2023660065: applied. 23.05.2023: publ. 23.05.2023 / A. D. Vilnin, A. Yu. Karpova, S. A. Kuznetsov [et al.]; National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University. (In Russ.).
14. Maksimova N. G. Databases as an effective tool for analyzing and preventing school shooting incidents. Science. Culture. Society. 2022;28(4):44–55. (In Russ.). DOI 10.19181/nko.2022.28.4.4.
15. Muschert G. W. School shootings as mediatized violence. In: Böckler N., Seeger T., Sitzer P., Heitmeyer W. (eds) School Shootings. New York, NY: Springer; 2012. P. 265–281. DOI 10.1007/978-1-4614-5526-4_12.
16. Murray J. L. Mass media reporting and enabling of mass shootings. Cultural Studies ↔ Critical Methodologies. 2017;17(2):114–124. DOI 10.1177/1532708616679144.
17. Langman P. A guide to insider references used by school shooters and other attackers. 2020. URL: https://schoolshooters.info/sites/default/files/insider_references_1.1.pdf (accessed: 11.05.2022).
18. Maryland’s Model Policy for Behavior Threat Assessment (2018). URL: https://schoolsafety.maryland.gov/Documents/Reports-Docs/Maryland%20Model%20Policy%20for%20Behavior%20Threat%20Assessment-2018-19.pdf (accessed: 05.05.2024).
19. Cornell D., Sheras P. Guidelines for responding to student threats of violence. SoprisWest; 2006. ISBN 978-1593185022.
20. Alathari L. [et al.]. Enhancing school safety using a threat assessment model: An operational guide for preventing targeted school violence. National Threat Assessment Center; 2018. URL: https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/publications/18_0711_USSS_NTAC-Enhancing-School-Safety-Guide.pdf (accessed: 05.05.2024).
Article
Received: 06.05.2024
Accepted: 01.07.2024
Citation Formats
Other cite formats:
APA
Karpova, A. Y. (2024). A proactive schoolshooting incident prevention system: what matters?. Science. Culture. Society, 30(2), 83-98. https://doi.org/10.19181/nko.2024.30.2.6
Section
Modern mechanisms for the implementation of youth policy
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