James Alan Fox—Lipman Family Professor of Criminology, Law, and Public Policy—published an open-access article called “Mass Murder in America: Trends, Characteristics, Explanations, and Policy Response” in Homicide Studies as part of its 25th-anniversary issue.
In this paper, Fox relies on the Associated Press/USA Today/Northeastern University Mass Killing Database, which provides the widest coverage of incidents in the U.S. with four or more victim fatalities, regardless of location, situation, or weapon, to provide a comprehensive overview of mass murder in America. He presents trends in incidents and victimization of mass killings from 2006 through 2020, followed by an examination of various incident, offender, and victim characteristics, distinguishing among the major subtypes. Next, he details a motivational typology of mass murder and identifies the common contributing factors. Finally, he considers the potential effects of certain policy responses related to media coverage, mental health services, and gun restrictions on the prevalence of mass killing.
Congratulations, Professor Fox!
