The Boy who Cried Wolf: Can Threat Assessment Help us Foil Mass Shootings?

• In Event: Mass Shootings: Risk Factors and Prevention

Abstract

Threat assessment has been hailed by some as a systematic and effective way to identify, assess, and manage persons who pose a risk for targeted violence. This approach has been primarily employed with rampage school shootings, as well as assassins. In this paper, we examine the viability of threat assessment as a tool to identify and foil mass shootings. We investigate the extent of leakage, as well as the type, and emotional content of threats made by perpetrators of mass shootings that occurred in the United States from 2000-2016. Additionally, we examine possible links between the types and emotional content of threats to the demographic and pre-, and event-level behaviors of threatners.

Authors

• Joel A Capellan, Rowan University

• Kyle Hubert, Rowan University