Punishing Rampage: Public Opinion on Sanctions for School Shooters

• In Event: Public Confidence in the Criminal Justice System

Abstract

Rampage school shootings are one of the most salient social problems in America. When a major school shooting occurs, media coverage of the events is extensive and fear and moral panic permeate US society, igniting heated debates about school safety and gun control. Most prior research on school shootings has focused on identifying their causes and evaluating preventive school safety measures. An overlooked issue involves what to do with individuals who commit or attempt to commit school shootings. Rampage shooters are often apprehended alive, and many are stopped in the planning stages before a shooting even takes place. How should we sanction these offenders? Answering this question requires giving some consideration to public opinion, both because it guides and limits criminal justice policymaking, and because punishments that are inconsistent with popular attitudes may undermine legal legitimacy. Using data from an experiment embedded in a national survey of American adults (N = 1,100), we provide the first analysis of the public’s punishment preferences for individuals who either attempt to carry out or actually carry out a school shooting. We discuss the implications of the findings and directions for future research.

Authors

• Nathaniel Schutten, University at Albany, SUNY

• Justin Pickett, University at Albany, SUNY

• Alexander L. Burton, University of Cincinnati

• Cheryl Lero Jonson, Xavier University

• Francis Cullen, University of Cincinnati

• Velmer S. Burton, Jr., University of Arkansas at Little Rock