Comparing Violent Extremism and Terrorism to Other Forms of Targeted Violence

• NCJ Number: 308806
• Journal: NIJ Journal Volume: 285 Dated: March 25, 2024
• Author(s): B. Heidi Ellis; Edna Erez; John Horgan; Gary LaFree; Ramón Spaaij
• Date Published: March 2024
• Grant Number(s): 2014-ZA-BX-0001; 2012-ZA-BX-0001; 2014-ZA-BX-0002; 2013-ZA-BX-0002; 2013-ZA-BX-0008
• Agencies: NIJ
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Award: A Comparative Study of Violent Extremism and Gangs; Gang Affiliation and Radicalization to Violent Extremism within Somali-American Communities; Transnational Crimes among Somali-Americans: Convergences of Radicalization and Trafficking; Lone Wolf Terrorism in America: Using Knowledge of Radicalization Pathways to Forge Prevention Strategies; Across the Universe? A Comparative Analysis of Violent Radicalization Across Three Offender Types with Implications for Criminal Justice Training and Education

Annotation

This article reviews findings from several National Institute of Justice-supported projects that explore similarities and differences between the following people: violent extremists and gang members; people who engage in terrorism and those involved in human trafficking; lone actor terrorists and people who commit nonideological mass murder.

Abstract

The authors of this article present research on targeted violence, aimed at identifying similarities and differences in the context of domestic violence extremism and terrorism. The authors’ goal was to gain a better understanding of any links or overlap between people who perpetrate extremism and terrorism, with the understanding that understanding that is important for the development of targeted violence prevention efforts. In this article, the authors present their findings from several National Institute of Justice (NIJ)-supported projects that explore the similarities and differences between the following groups: violent extremists and individuals involved in gangs; people who engage in terrorism and people involved in human trafficking; lone actor terrorists who are not directed or supported by a group, and people who commit nonideological mass murder. The article indicates that some projects analyzed in the study draw from large databases of individuals who are known to have committed violent acts while others cover community and stakeholder perceptions of the acts, and other projects analyzed by the authors focused on how communities contend with heightened risk factors. The article ends with a discussion of possible research implications for policy practice and future research efforts.