Domestic Terrorism Offender-Level Database (DTOLD): A New Database Focused on Psychosocial, Trauma-Related, and Life History Variables

• In Event: Terrorism Risk and Protective Factors

Abstract

Last year, the US government released a report noting that incidents of domestic terrorism had increased by 357% between 2013 and 2021. As the threat rises, scholars and practitioners are increasingly focused on the work of prevention and intervention, but this work requires a sophisticated understanding of the individuals who commit acts of domestic terrorism. The purpose of this NIJ-funded study was to develop the first offender-level domestic terrorism database focused on psychosocial, trauma-related, and life history variables. This project—The Domestic Terrorism Offender-Level Database (DTOLD)—has resulted in the collection of data on 175 variables for an estimated 375 individuals whose terrorist attacks were in the GTD, occurred in the US, and happened between 2001 and 2020. Critically, DTOLD was also constructed to facilitate comparative analysis with The Violence Prevention Project’s NIJ-funded mass shooter database. This presentation will share the results of preliminary analysis, to include: a typology of domestic terrorists, an analysis of the relative loneness of domestic terrorists, and data on variables including ACEs, lethality, suicidality, leakage, mental wellness, and substance use disorder. We conclude with implications for allied professionals engaged in the difficult work of prevention and intervention.

Authors

• Megan K. McBride, CNA, Institute for Public Research

• Jessica Stern, CNA, Institute for Public Research

• Samuel Plapinger, CNA, Institute for Public Research

• Michelle Strayer, CNA, Institute for Public Research

• Alex Xu, CNA, Institute for Public Research

• Kaia Haney, CNA, Institute for Public Research

• Monique Jenkins, CNA, Institute for Public Research