Criminology & Criminal Justice Theses and Dissertations
Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/2758
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Item Understanding the Unthinkable: A Comparative Analysis of Mass Shooters, Homicide Offenders, and Violent Extremists Using Criminological Theory(2024) Yanez, Yesenia A.; LaFree, Gary; Criminology and Criminal Justice; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)As mass shootings continue, the need for more theoretically driven solutions grows. Criminologists can offer tremendous insight, though they should be wary of applying existing theories to this relatively new phenomenon. In this dissertation, I explore how mass shootings fit into our understanding of crime and violence. I begin by describing mass shooter demographics and motives over time. I then compare mass shooters to homicide offenders and violent extremists. Focusing on social control and general strain variables, I find that mass shooters are significantly different than single-victim homicide offenders in terms of common correlates of crime. Mass shooters and violent extremists, on the other hand, show fewer differences and greater definitional overlap. Finally, I consider how mass shooting definitions shape our perception of mass shooters. Considering these results, I conclude that a mass shooter’s path to violence does not resemble that of a common homicide offender but rather one of a violent extremist. Future scholars can thus reimagine existing criminological theories to help explain mass shootings and provide solutions that are more appropriate.Item Mitigating Mass Shooting Severity: A Reconstruction and Application of the Routine Activity Theory(2021) Yanez, Yesenia Angelica; Dugan, Laura; Criminology and Criminal Justice; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)While mass shootings are considered statistically rare, they have become deadlier over time. One way to mitigate the severity of a mass shooting is to exploit the continuum that exists in each element of the Routine Activity Theory (RAT). Using data from the Violence Project mass shooter database, this study tests the relationship between all three components of RAT and mass shooting fatalities. Results reveal that, after controlling for other the components, offender motivation and target suitability significantly predict an event’s severity. Specifically, the number of firearms to brought to a scene and the location’s openness and density are positively related to event fatalities. These findings offer practical policy implications that can mitigate the severity of future mass shootings.