Louisiana State University Violent Crime Discussion

The media often profiles individuals who have been charged with or who engaged in violent crimes. Such profiles seek to identify characteristics that can be used to identify individuals with a high probability of engaging in similar activities. The key finding of the United States Secret Service’s research into school violence is that “There is no accurate or useful profile of students who engaged in targeted violence.” Think about this quote and what you have read about the shooters profiled by Langman so far. What were the areas of greatest similarity among shooters? What were the key differences among shooters? Is it really possible for us to develop a profile of potential shooters? If so, what type of ethical concerns would we need to engage with while applying such a profile?

Why Do Youth Engage in Violent Offenses?

How much delinquency is violent?

Explanations of youth violence?

How is juvenile violence combatted? (Brief)
How much delinquency is violent?
Juvenile Arrest Rates 1980-2017
Source: OJJDP
3000.0
2500.0
2000.0
1500.0
1000.0
500.0
0.0
1980
1984
1988
1992
1996
2000
2004
2008
Violent Crime Index
Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter
Forcible rape
Robbery
Aggravated assault
Property Crime Index
2012
2016
How much delinquency is violent?
Juvenile Arrest Rates 1980-2017
Source: OJJDP
600.0
500.0
400.0
300.0
200.0
100.0
0.0
1980
1984
Violent Crime Index
1988
1992
1996
Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter
2000
2004
Forcible rape
2008
Robbery
2012
2016
Aggravated assault
How much delinquency is violent?
Juvenile Arrest Rates 1980-2017
Source: OJJDP
300.0
25.0
250.0
20.0
200.0
15.0
150.0
10.0
100.0
5.0
50.0
0.0
0.0
1980
1984
Robbery
1988
1992
Aggravated assault
1996
2000
2004
2008
Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter
2012
Forcible rape
2016
Explanations of youth violence?

Broad explanations
 Conflict/Feminist oriented
 Environmental
 Individual
level
influences
Explanations of youth violence?

Conflict/Feminist oriented
◼ Competition
for resources
◼ Racial differences in violence


Minorities more likely to be arrested OR victimized
More about social structure, less about individual characteristics
Explanations of youth violence?
Juvenile Arrests by Crime Type by Race
Source: OJJDP
900.0
800.0
700.0
600.0
500.0
400.0
300.0
200.0
100.0
0.0
1980
1984
1988
1992
1996
2000
2004
2008
White Homicide
White Robbery
White Aggravated Assault
Black Homicide
Black Robbery
Black Aggravated Assault
2012
2016
Explanations of youth violence?

Conflict/Feminist oriented
◼ Competition
for resources
◼ Racial differences in violence


◼ Sex


Minorities more likely to be arrested OR victimized
More about social structure, less about individual characteristics
differences in violence
Socialization of aggression
Hegemonic masculinity
◼ Link to video about the incel community
Explanations of youth violence?
Arrests Rates by Sex of Offender and Crime Type
Source: OJJDP
500.0
450.0
400.0
350.0
300.0
250.0
200.0
150.0
100.0
50.0
0.0
1980
1984
1988
1992
1996
2000
2004
2008
Male Homicide
Male Robbery
Male Aggravated Assault
Female Homicide
Female Robbery
Female Aggravated Assault
2012
2016
Explanations of youth violence?

Environmental influences
 Recap
◼ Theories:
Social Disorganization/Collective Efficacy; Broken Windows Thesis
◼ Importance of neighborhood: Singer and Sullivan
 Community
and neighborhood-based contexts
 Emphasis on the community
◼ Relationships
◼ Street



and social control
gangs
Difficult to study
Gang statistics
Reasons for joining?
Explanations of youth violence?

Environmental influences
 Emphasis
on context (focus on school context)
◼ Crime
in AND around school
◼ Economic AND social resources in school
◼ Communal School Organization (CSO)




Supportive relationships among teachers, administrators, and students
Common set of goals and norms
Sense of collaboration and involvement
Research about CSO’s implications
◼ How

problematic is school violence?
Link to National Center on Education Statistics School Crime
Explanations of youth violence?

Individual level
 Socialization
◼ What
 Social
is learned? From who?
control theories
◼ Social
 Strain
theories
bonding and self-control
theories
◼ General Strain
Theory
 Characteristics associated
◼ CORRELATED, but
with violent behavior
not casual
How is juvenile violence combatted?

McNamara and Bucher’s options
 Limited

evidence in support
School-based options
 Resource

officers and zero-tolerance
Key components of successful interventions
 Target
risk factors
 Focus on behavior, not individual
 Weaknesses AND strengths of youth
 Target higher risk FIRST
 Incorporating adult role models
Summary

Youth engage in a lot of violence, but still relatively uncommon
 McNamara
and Bucher focused on chronic violence and gang violence
because of high profile

Several explanations for why youth engage in violence
 Best

explanation draws upon several categories and/or theories
Best interventions guided by Risk-Need-Responsivity model
Theories that help explain school shootings

Cognitive theories
 Key
points
◼ Individual reasoning
processes influence behavior
◼ Reasoning is influenced by perceptions of environment
 Connection
◼ What
with rational choice theory
decisions do youth make?
 Connection
with General Strain Theory
Why did secondary school shooters do it?

Langman’s categorization strategies
 Based
on location and shooter
◼ Secondary
school shooters (today)
◼ College shooter (next time)
◼ Aberrant adult shooters (not covered)
 Psychological
◼ Challenges
categories
to diagnosing psychosis (link to Ted Talk: Strange Answers to
Psychopath Test)
Why did secondary school shooters do it?
• Langman’s categorization strategies
• Psychological categories
• Psychopathic
• Characteristics
• Overlap with behavioral and control theories?
• Psychotic
• Characteristics
• Overlap with cognitive theories?
• Traumatized shooters
• Characteristics
• Overlap with learning and cognitive theories?
Why did secondary school shooters do it?
• In-class exercise
• Secret Service: “There is no accurate or useful profile of students who engaged
in targeted school violence.”
• Group activity
• One sheet of paper per group, all names on top
• What were the areas of greatest similarity among shooters?
• What were the key differences?
Summary
• Long history of violence in schools, but attention increased during the
1990s and 2000s
• Several theories help to explain actions of school shooters
• Individual characteristics, traits and experiences
• Difficulties in profiling and predicting secondary school shooters

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