Steven M Chermak

Biographic Data

ID208507
NAMESteven M Chermak
GIVEN NAMESSteven M
FAMILY NAMEChermak
SIGNATURECHERMAK S M
AFFILIATIONSMichigan State University
ORCID0000-0001-5210-1143
VERIFIEDYes
TOTAL WORKS82
TOTAL CITATIONS414
AUTHOR COUNT81
EDITOR COUNT1
FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR1993
LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR2026
H-INDEX11

  • Media Coverage of School Shootings

    Open AccessTiana Gaudette, Eve S Petrie et al.ARTICLECrime & Delinquency2026

    Media outlets tend to cover rare events like school shootings. However, some school shootings receive more media coverage than others, and little is empirically known why, or what school shooting characteristics might attract greater media attention. This study addresses this gap and conducts a distortion analysis using data from The American School Shooting Study (TASSS), a national, open-source database. TASSS includes all publicly known shooti…

  • Exploring Terrorism Through Neutralization Theory

    Amirhossein Mazaheri, Joshua D Freilich et al.ARTICLEDeviant Behavior2026References: 83

    This study innovatively applied Sykes and Matza’s neutralization theory to the terrorist leaders’ speeches of Jaysh al-Adl, a Sunni extremist organization operating in southeastern Iran. Using content analysis of terrorist leaders’ speeches disseminated through the group’s official website and Telegram channel, the study examines how terrorist leaders justify terrorism and mobilize followers. Condemnation of condemners and denial of responsibilit…

  • Distinguishing Violent and Non-violent Criminal Extremists Based on Risk and Protective Factors

    Noah Turner, Noah D Turner et al.ARTICLETerrorism and Political Violence2026

  • Open-Source Research in Criminology and Criminal Justice

    Open AccessSteven M Chermak, Joshua D Freilich et al.ARTICLEAnnual Review of Criminology2025

    This review focuses on the use of open-source data in criminology and criminal justice research, highlighting the field's advancements through these data, optimal practices for constructing open-source databases, and key methodological hurdles to confront. As the amount and types of available public information have grown, scholars have capitalized on this access by constructing open-source databases. Our review found extraordinary growth in this…

  • Bias-Motivated Violence and the Likelihood of Fatal Outcomes

    Brittany E Hayes, Jeff Gruenewald et al.ARTICLEJustice Quarterly2025

    This study examines how bystanders and situational factors influence if bias violence results in fatal outcomes. Utilizing the criminal event perspective and routine activities theory, we hypothesize that certain situational factors, such as gun use and private locations, increase the likelihood of fatal outcomes, while bystander presence reduces it. Data come from the Bias Homicide Database, an open-source database that includes data on bias mur…

  • Approaches to Defining the “Hate Element” of a Behavior

    Open AccessMatteo Vergani, John M Betts et al.ARTICLECrime & Delinquency2025

    This article addresses the proliferation of definitions and approaches used to characterize the hate element in behaviors motivated by hate, including hate crimes, hate speech, and behaviors motivated by prejudice against specific identities (e.g., homophobia, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia), and investigates whether these definitions cluster into distinct types. Using machine learning, we clustered 423 definitions from academic and gray literature …

  • School Shootings and Suicide

    Open AccessKaelyn Sanders, Steven M Chermak et al.ARTICLECrime & Delinquency2025

    This study comparatively examines whether suicide school shooters differ from non-suicide school shooters. Although the research on school shootings is increasing, there is limited research on school shooters who attempt, threaten, or plan suicide or die by suicide in comparison to those who do not. The American School Shooting Study (TASSS) includes data on all school shooting events occurring in the United States between 1990 and 2016 that resu…

  • An Assessment of the Harms Associated With Ideologically Motivated Cyberattacks

    Open AccessThomas J Holt, Steven M Chermak et al.ARTICLECrime & Delinquency2025

    There has been a dramatic increase in research on terrorism and extremist activities over the last two decades. Despite this growth, the majority of studies focus on either the harm caused by ideologically-motivated violence in physical spaces, or the ways in which individuals radicalize and organize in online spaces. There is growing evidence that traditional extremist groups and terrorists engage in cyberattacks, such as computer hacking, in su…

  • What Went Wrong

    Open AccessAustin C Barber, Steven M Chermak et al.ARTICLECrime & Delinquency2025

    Terrorism plots fail more often than they succeed, and while understanding why a plot comes to fruition can inform prevention strategies not considered before, it is equally important to identify the factors that most frequently lead to unsuccessful outcomes. To address this, the study draws from a situational crime prevention (SCP) framework to examine the structured opportunities of far-right plots in the United States using data from the Extre…

  • Nonviolent Criminal Radicalization in the Community

    Sumita Da, Joshua D Freilich et al.ARTICLEStudies in Conflict and Terrorism2025

  • Examining the effects of firearm lethality and aggressors’ intentions to kill on injurious firearm violence at American schools

    Open AccessBrent R Klein, Cory Schnell et al.ARTICLECriminology2025References: 29

    This study examined firearm lethality and aggressors’ lethal intent on injurious fatal and nonfatal school shootings using data from The American School Shooting Study, which covers 329 school shootings in the United States from 1990 to 2016. We developed a new multidimensional construct for measuring shooters’ determination to kill and examined firearm characteristics while considering confounding factors. We identified 11 distinct categories of…

  • Testing a probabilistic model of desistance from online posting in a right-wing extremist forum

    Thomas W Wojciechowski, Ryan Scrivens et al.ARTICLEInternational Journal of…2025References: 80

    Little is known about online behaviours of violent extremists generally or differences compared to non-violent extremists who share ideological beliefs. Even less is known about desistance from posting behaviour. A sample of 99 violent and non-violent right-wing extremists to compare their online patterns of desistance within a sub-forum of the largest white supremacy web-forum was analysed. A probabilistic model of desistance was tested to deter…

  • Terrorism, Political Extremism, and Crime and Criminal Justice

    Open AccessJoshua D Freilich, Steven M Chermak et al.ARTICLEAnnual Review of Criminology2024

    This review focuses on terrorism and extremist crimes, including ideologically motivated hate crimes. Research on these topics has become more rigorous in recent decades, and more scholars have engaged in original data collection. Our assessment found a burgeoning literature that increasingly includes the application of integrated theories, but gaps remain as few studies examine life-course and critical approaches. Our review of the policing of t…

  • Honor Killings in the United States From 1990 to 2021

    Open AccessCarlijn Van Baak, Brittany E Hayes et al.ARTICLECrime & Delinquency2024

    Although honor killings often include multiple fatalities in the U.S., the situational circumstances of why these offenders target corollary victims remain unknown. We used open-source data from the U.S. Extremist Crime Database to qualitatively examine 66 primary and corollary victims of 26 honor killings in the U.S. between 1990 and December 2021. One third of the cases involved corollary victims, and half of all victims were corollary victims.…

  • Data Collection in Online Terrorism and Extremism Research

    Open AccessRyan Scrivens, Joshua D Freilich et al.ARTICLEStudies in Conflict and Terrorism2024Cited by: 2

    There has been a growing interest among researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to analyze the online activities of extremists and terrorists. As studies in this research area have increased, various data collection techniques have emerged to address key research questions, ranging from manual extraction to computational tools to collect online information. This article examines the strengths and limitations of commonly used data collection …

  • Assessing Racial and Ethnically Motivated Extremist Cyberattacks Using Open Source Data

    Thomas J Holt, Steven M Chermak et al.ARTICLETerrorism and Political Violence2024Cited by: 1

    Over the last twenty years, researchers have noted the range of violent and financial crimes performed by racial and ethnically-motivated actors. There is also substantial evidence demonstrating the ways that these actors utilize the Internet and various online communications platforms as a resource to recruit others and coordinate criminal activities. As virtually all aspects of modern interpersonal communication, commerce, and government depend…

  • Introducing and Exploring the Extremist Cybercrime Database (ECCD)

    Open AccessThomas J Holt, Steven M Chermak et al.ARTICLECrime & Delinquency2023

    This study uses open source, public information to examine nation-state and non-nation-state ideologically motivated cyberattacks performed against US targets from 1998 to 2018. We created the Extremist Cyber Crime Database (ECCD) that includes scheme, offender and target codebooks to address gaps in existing research and better inform policymakers. We describe our open source collection procedures, the type of information uncovered, and how we a…

  • An Empirical Examination on the Severity of Lone-Actor Terrorist Attacks

    Open AccessNoah D Turner, Steven M Chermak et al.ARTICLECrime & Delinquency2023

    Lone-actor terrorists have increasingly attracted the attention of researchers, policymakers, and practitioners alike. Despite this enhanced interest, few studies have compared the outcomes of lone-actor terrorist attacks with other terrorists, and those that have do not consider the terrorists’ intention to kill in an attack. This study utilizes a sample of 230 terrorist homicide incidents from the Extremist Crime Database to examine the extent …

  • Growth opportunities in American and British terrorism research

    Sophia Moskalenko, Joshua D Freilich et al.ARTICLEDynamics of Asymmetric Conflict2023Cited by: 2References: 23

    This paper identifies what we see as opportunities to improve data collection, analysis, and interpretation of findings in American and British terrorism research. We suggest seven directions that we see as promising. These include: 1) interview methods and reporting, 2) source reporting in database studies, prioritizing available court records, 3) more comparison groups, including non-offender activists for the same cause and non-political offen…

  • Assessing nation‐state‐sponsored cyberattacks using aspects of Situational Crime Prevention

    Open AccessThomas J Holt, Mae Griffith et al.ARTICLECriminology & Public Policy2023Cited by: 2References: 6

    Research Summary This study utilized a quantitative analysis of 246 cyberattack incidents reported in the Extremist CyberCrime Database to identify significant predictors of nation‐state‐sponsored cyberattacks relative to those performed by non‐nation‐state‐sponsored ideological actors. Clarke and Newman's Situational Crime Prevention framework for terrorism was used to identify differential opportunities to successfully affect targets on the bas…

  • Comparing the Online Posting Behaviors of Violent and Non-Violent Right-Wing Extremists

    Ryan Scrivens, Thomas W Wojciechowski et al.ARTICLETerrorism and Political Violence2023Cited by: 7

    Despite the ongoing need for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to identify and assess the online activities of violent extremists prior to their engagement in violence offline, little is empirically known about their online behaviors generally or differences in their posting behaviors compared to non-violent extremists who share similar ideological beliefs particularly. In this study, we drew from a unique sample of violent and non-vio…

  • Pre-Attack Warning Behaviors of 20 Adolescent School Shooters

    Open AccessMeagan N Abel, Steven M Chermak et al.ARTICLECrime & Delinquency2022

    This study examines the pre-attack warning behaviors of adolescent school shooters in the US. We conducted 20 case studies of adolescent school shooters in the United States that committed non-fatal or fatal shootings on K-12 school grounds between 1999 and 2016. We investigate whether the school shooters displayed warning behaviors before the attack, who in the perpetrator’s life was aware of these warning behaviors, and what if any actions were…

  • George Floyd protests and the criminal justice system

    Open AccessJoshua D Freilich, Steven M ChermakARTICLECriminology & Public Policy2022Cited by: 2References: 1

  • An Exploratory Analysis of the Characteristics of Ideologically Motivated Cyberattacks

    Thomas J Holt, Jin Ree Lee et al.ARTICLETerrorism and Political Violence2022Cited by: 2

    Web defacement is a form of hacking that involves altering the content of a website, resulting in repairs to the website code, loss of revenue, internal loss of productivity, and reputational damage. Limited research has examined the frequency of web defacements, the factors that distinguish them from other hacking motives, and the extent to which the correlates mirror research on physical acts of ideologically-motivated crime. The current study …

  • Examining the Online Expression of Ideology among Far-Right Extremist Forum Users

    Thomas J Holt, Joshua D Freilich et al.ARTICLETerrorism and Political Violence2022Cited by: 9

    Over the last decade, there has been an increased focus among researchers on the role of the Internet among actors and groups across the political and ideological spectrum. There has been particular emphasis on the ways that far-right extremists utilize forums and social media to express ideological beliefs through sites affiliated with real-world extremist groups and unaffiliated websites. The majority of research has used qualitative assessment…