James M Silver
Biographic Data
| ID | 3838449 |
|---|---|
| NAME | James M Silver |
| GIVEN NAMES | James M |
| FAMILY NAME | Silver |
| SIGNATURE | SILVER J M |
| AFFILIATIONS | Worcester State University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-9577-2817 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 7 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 26 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 7 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2018 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Public Mass Shooters and the Prevalence of Suicidality
It is well documented that over a third of public mass shooters die by suicide. However, the rate of suicidality among public mass shooters during their attacks may be greater. Using the notion of a final act mentality, we operationalize suicidality as not only intentionally ending one’s life but also as accepting that committing the act will end one’s life as they know it. To assess the rate of suicidality in public mass shooters, we analyze pub…
Days > 366 Days
Federal offenders sentenced to imprisonment for more than a year may earn “good time credit”. Offenders sentenced to 365 days are ineligible for this potential sentence reduction of up to 54 days a year. Using 2020 through 2022 data from the United States Sentencing Commission, we identified 3,765 federal offenders sentenced to either 365- or 366-days’ imprisonment. Independent variables included offender, legal, and case characteristics. Integra…
A Behavioral Sequence Analysis of Mass School Shooters Examining Stressors, Antisocial Behaviors, Mental Health Issues, and Planning and Preparation Activities
This study examines all completed mass school shooting offenders (1966–2021) using a behavioral sequence analysis of their stressors, antisocial behaviors, mental health issues, and planning/preparation activities. We also conduct isolated analyses of K-12 and college shooters. Findings illustrate a multitude of factors along the sequence from birth to attack for all offenders, with several differences between K-12 and college shooters. We highli…
Disaggregating Lone-actor Grievance-fuelled Violence
Research suggests that lone-actor terrorists and mass murderers may be better conceptualized as lone-actor grievance-fueled violence (LAGFV) offenders, rather than as distinct types. The present study sought to examine the extent to which these offenders could (or could not) be disaggregated along dimensions relevant to the threat assessment of both. Drawing on a Risk Analysis Framework (RAF), the offending process was theorized as interactions a…
Space between concern and crime
Amid widespread agreement that public mass violence is generally the result of understandable and often discoverable thoughts and behaviors, the threat assessment model of identifying, assessing, and managing potential offenders has proven an effective safety approach across different offender types. In this article I describe two impediments to the model's efficacy – incomplete national adoption of the model, and the disinclination of some bysta…
Why have public mass shootings become more deadly
Research Summary Public mass shootings in the United States have become substantially more deadly over time. We document this increase, offer a model to explain it, review supporting evidence for the model, and present new findings on offenders from 1966 to 2019. It appears that societal changes have led to more public mass shooters who are motivated to kill large numbers of victims for fame or attention, as well as to more shooters who have been…
Public Mass Murderers and Federal Mental Health Background Checks
The litany of public mass murders, from Aurora, Newtown, Charleston, Las Vegas, and Parkland to less well‐known incidents that occur yearly, has focused national attention on federally mandated mental health background checks of prospective gun purchasers. The call has been to put more gun‐disqualifying mental health records into the National Instant Criminal Background Check System database to prevent “deranged” murderers from buying guns and ru…
Why have public mass shootings become more deadly
Research Summary Public mass shootings in the United States have become substantially more deadly over time. We document this increase, offer a model to explain it, review supporting evidence for the model, and present new findings on offenders from 1966 to 2019. It appears that societal changes have led to more public mass shooters who are motivated to kill large numbers of victims for fame or attention, as well as to more shooters who have been…
Disaggregating Lone-actor Grievance-fuelled Violence
Research suggests that lone-actor terrorists and mass murderers may be better conceptualized as lone-actor grievance-fueled violence (LAGFV) offenders, rather than as distinct types. The present study sought to examine the extent to which these offenders could (or could not) be disaggregated along dimensions relevant to the threat assessment of both. Drawing on a Risk Analysis Framework (RAF), the offending process was theorized as interactions a…
Space between concern and crime
Amid widespread agreement that public mass violence is generally the result of understandable and often discoverable thoughts and behaviors, the threat assessment model of identifying, assessing, and managing potential offenders has proven an effective safety approach across different offender types. In this article I describe two impediments to the model's efficacy – incomplete national adoption of the model, and the disinclination of some bysta…
A Behavioral Sequence Analysis of Mass School Shooters Examining Stressors, Antisocial Behaviors, Mental Health Issues, and Planning and Preparation Activities
This study examines all completed mass school shooting offenders (1966–2021) using a behavioral sequence analysis of their stressors, antisocial behaviors, mental health issues, and planning/preparation activities. We also conduct isolated analyses of K-12 and college shooters. Findings illustrate a multitude of factors along the sequence from birth to attack for all offenders, with several differences between K-12 and college shooters. We highli…
Public Mass Murderers and Federal Mental Health Background Checks
The litany of public mass murders, from Aurora, Newtown, Charleston, Las Vegas, and Parkland to less well‐known incidents that occur yearly, has focused national attention on federally mandated mental health background checks of prospective gun purchasers. The call has been to put more gun‐disqualifying mental health records into the National Instant Criminal Background Check System database to prevent “deranged” murderers from buying guns and ru…
Public Mass Murderers and Federal Mental Health Background Checks
The litany of public mass murders, from Aurora, Newtown, Charleston, Las Vegas, and Parkland to less well‐known incidents that occur yearly, has focused national attention on federally mandated mental health background checks of prospective gun purchasers. The call has been to put more gun‐disqualifying mental health records into the National Instant Criminal Background Check System database to prevent “deranged” murderers from buying guns and ru…
Why have public mass shootings become more deadly
Research Summary Public mass shootings in the United States have become substantially more deadly over time. We document this increase, offer a model to explain it, review supporting evidence for the model, and present new findings on offenders from 1966 to 2019. It appears that societal changes have led to more public mass shooters who are motivated to kill large numbers of victims for fame or attention, as well as to more shooters who have been…
Space between concern and crime
Amid widespread agreement that public mass violence is generally the result of understandable and often discoverable thoughts and behaviors, the threat assessment model of identifying, assessing, and managing potential offenders has proven an effective safety approach across different offender types. In this article I describe two impediments to the model's efficacy – incomplete national adoption of the model, and the disinclination of some bysta…
Disaggregating Lone-actor Grievance-fuelled Violence
Research suggests that lone-actor terrorists and mass murderers may be better conceptualized as lone-actor grievance-fueled violence (LAGFV) offenders, rather than as distinct types. The present study sought to examine the extent to which these offenders could (or could not) be disaggregated along dimensions relevant to the threat assessment of both. Drawing on a Risk Analysis Framework (RAF), the offending process was theorized as interactions a…
Days > 366 Days
Federal offenders sentenced to imprisonment for more than a year may earn “good time credit”. Offenders sentenced to 365 days are ineligible for this potential sentence reduction of up to 54 days a year. Using 2020 through 2022 data from the United States Sentencing Commission, we identified 3,765 federal offenders sentenced to either 365- or 366-days’ imprisonment. Independent variables included offender, legal, and case characteristics. Integra…
A Behavioral Sequence Analysis of Mass School Shooters Examining Stressors, Antisocial Behaviors, Mental Health Issues, and Planning and Preparation Activities
This study examines all completed mass school shooting offenders (1966–2021) using a behavioral sequence analysis of their stressors, antisocial behaviors, mental health issues, and planning/preparation activities. We also conduct isolated analyses of K-12 and college shooters. Findings illustrate a multitude of factors along the sequence from birth to attack for all offenders, with several differences between K-12 and college shooters. We highli…
Public Mass Shooters and the Prevalence of Suicidality
It is well documented that over a third of public mass shooters die by suicide. However, the rate of suicidality among public mass shooters during their attacks may be greater. Using the notion of a final act mentality, we operationalize suicidality as not only intentionally ending one’s life but also as accepting that committing the act will end one’s life as they know it. To assess the rate of suicidality in public mass shooters, we analyze pub…
Criminology (5 works) · Gun Ownership and Violence Research (5 works) · Psychology (5 works) · Computer Science (4 works) · Crime Patterns and Interventions (4 works) · Medicine (4 works) · Political science (4 works) · Suicide and Self-Harm Studies (4 works) · Computer security (3 works) · Law (3 works)