The devil's in the details: Measuring mass violence

• Date: 01 February 2020
• Author: Jay Corzine,Lin Huff‐Corzine
• Published date: 01 February 2020
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/1745-9133.12482

DOI: 10.1111/1745-9133.12482

SPECIAL ISSUE ARTICLE

COUNTERING MASS VIOLENCE IN THE UNITED STATES

The devil’s in the details: Measuring mass violence

Lin Huff-Corzine Jay Corzine

University of Central Florida

Correspondence

LinHuff-Corzine, Depar tment of Sociology,

Universityof Central Florida, HPH 403M,

4297Andromeda Loop No., Orlando,

FL32816-1360.

Email:Lin.Huff-Corzine@ucf.edu

Wethank the editors and reviewers of Crimi-

nologyand Public Policy for their work on this

article. An earlier versionof this paper was pre-

sentedat t he NSF sponsored Workshopon Mass

Violence,George Mason University,Apr il

2019.

Research Summary: Mass violence refers to victimiza-

tion, resulting in multiple deaths and/or injuries. Thus,

the measurement of mass violence cannot rest on a single

definition or dataset. The purpose of this paper is to

decompose mass violence into its various sub-types, dis-

cuss measurement issues related to the sub-types, evaluate

potential datasets for future studies, and offer practical

policy implications.

Policy Implication: Imposing a standard definition for

mass violence at this time would be counterproductive

and may stifle research and associated policy implications.

We recommend developing an enhanced dataset on mass

violence based on the National Incident-Based Reporting

System (NIBRS). The advantages of NIBRS include its

linkages of fatalities and injuries from the same incident,

no limitation on the number killed or wounded, and more

information than alternative data sources, maintenance

of the current crime data flow from local communities

through the state and to the FBI for compilation.

According to the National Mass Violence Victimization Research Center (2019), mass violence has

no universal definition; there is general agreement, however, that mass violence refers to victimization

resulting in multiple deaths and/or injuries. Beyond that, mass violence definitions vary on the required

number of offenders and locations. Thus, the measurement of mass violence cannot rest on a single

definition or data set any more than mass violence can be considered using a simplistic explanation.

The purpose of this article is to decompose mass violence into various subtypes, discuss measurement

issues related to the various types, evaluate potential datasets for future studies, and offer practical

policy implications.

Criminology & Public Policy. 2020;19:317–333. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/capp © 2020 American Society of Criminology 317

318 HUFF-CORZINE AND CORZINE

TABLE 1Major characteristics of mass violence incidents as currently defined

Number of Victims The current measures of mass violence events put the number of victims

ranging from 3 people killed and/or injured to 4 killed.

Location(s) Public areas are required by some to be considered mass violence, whereas a

few resources include Private or Residential locations.

Timing of

Incident(s)

Some data sets require that all violence occurs within 24 hours.

Weapon(s) Handgun, shotgun, rifle, hatchet, machete, ax, knife,vehicle, personal hands,

fists, or feet, especially in strangulation and drowning cases.

Target(s) Usually, specific people are targets, but forsome offenders, it is the location

that draws them.

Victim

Characteristics

Victim gender and age tend to change drasticallyfrom year to year. These

characteristics are dependent on the type of mass violence that occurs

during the year. If a school is targeted, and manystudents are hur t and/or

killed, the average age will be lowerthan if a church or a retirement home

was target ed.

Offender

Characteristics

Almost entirely men, middle-aged (approximately about ages40–60 years), a

higher percentage of Blacks than Whites in the population.

Victim–Offender

Relationships

Legal and illegal business associates, strangers, acquaintances, family,adults,

and children.

Motive, if Known Motives referred to include enhancing the offender’sfeeling of power, or that

the offender is jealous, narcissistic, or depressed.

1GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF MASS VIOLENCE

INCIDENTS

Mass violence comes in many forms, but the outcome of a mass violence incident is the same; several

people are left dead and/or injured as a result of the violence. The most common descriptors of homicide

styles used in definitions of mass violence include the following as noted in Table 1:

1) Number of victims killed and/or injured

2) Location(s) of incident(s)

3) Length of time between the first and the last person injured or murdered

4) Weapon(s) used

We will use these descriptors but will offer a categorization based on an expanded set of mass

violence types described in Ressler, Burgess, and Douglas (1988). They included two types of mass

murder: Classic and Family. Given that Ressler, Burgess, and Douglas were members of the Federal

Bureau of Investigation’s(FBI) Behavioral Science Unit (BSU), it is not surprising that their definition

of the Classic type of mass murder is nearly identical to the definition adopted by the FBI. Specifically,

the Classic mass murder type involvesa single, usually mentally disordered male offender who murders

four or more people in one public location with no cool-down period. In contrast, their Family type of

mass murder results in at least three family member deaths, and if the perpetrator commits suicide, the

event is labeled a “Mass Murder/Suicide.” If the perpetrator does not commit suicide but does kill four

or more family members, the event is called a “Family Killing” rather than a mass murder (Ressler

et al., 1988, p. 138).