Exploring school rampage shootings

Research, theory, and policy

Bibliographic Data

ID12008241
AuthorsMichael Rocque (0000-0003-4190-0825, Northeastern University, corresponding author)
Year2012
Volume49
Issue3
Pages304-313
Publication date2012-09-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueThe Social Science Journal (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0362-3319 • E-ISSN: 1873-5355
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1016/j.soscij.2011.11.001
OpenAlexW1993095057
LanguageEN
Citations received44
References cited32

This paper examines US school rampage shootings, focusing on the period from the late 20th century to the present. School rampage shootings are thought to be distinct from other forms of violence because of the relatively safe rural setting in which most of these events occur, the lack of specified individual targets, and the number of deaths involved. While this type of violence seems to have spiked in the mid-1990s, school violence in general and school shootings in particular have occurred throughout the history of formal education. Research shows that certain elements of school rampage shootings are unique, while others do not distinguish them from more common forms of violence. For the most part, theory development is still nascent, with the most advanced explanations relying on psychological factors. Finally, interventions have generally been guided by situational crime prevention rather than theories about why violence occurs in school. This paper argues that more research is needed before firm policy conclusions can be made

Crime prevention · Criminology · Political science · Psychological intervention · School violence · Situational ethics · Sociology · Bullying, Victimization, and Aggression · Crime Patterns and Interventions · Gun Ownership and Violence Research · Psychology · Social Psychology

Tools

Open DOISci-Hub