Summary of Mass Violence and Terrorist Attacks
Terrorist attacks are planned over a long period which increases the chances of being contained by the security experts even though the carefully organized crime can take down a large number of civilians. Through the improvements made in human psychology, the personnel with enough skills on criminals’ behavior can be able to predict an upcoming attack more so being able to detect potential threats.
Individuals who shot at groups of people were assumed to be completely different from criminals who bomb lasted themselves in gatherings. They could only differentiate them by the fact that the shooters used firearms while the other group used explosives and, in most cases, backed up by criminal militia groups. According to Lankford’s research, the public mass shooters mostly have some mental shortages and their reasons for committing the crime while the suicide bombers are controlled by their system of faith. It is almost impossible getting the main difference between these two groups. Research shows that members of both groups are always ready to give up their lives while conducting criminal activity. These people are driven into illegal activities by several factors. This maybe ranges from oppression throughout their life to thirst for being famous and being realized by people.
People involved in terrorist crimes do it with a craving to die hence do not think of its consequences or the people affected by their acts. They end up killing themselves after the act or even being murdered by law enforcement officers. The person on the crime scene is just a portion of the whole number of people behind the organized activity. Arguments have also been made on martyrdom in its relevance to someone having thoughts of killing himself.
According to research, the crime doers have been oppressed by society throughout their life which is seen on the pieces of paper they leave behind or even the words they say after the crime and the videos they make. This ranges from being disrespected due to lack of social status and wealth to discrimination by others according to their color and even faith in their god’s existence. These types of crimes might also be conducted by people with the urge of being widely known by the world at large and his existence being realized by civilians. Although this is uncommon to crime doers, these people have given up their lives for the acts hence do not fear the outcomes. They even show their faces on social platforms with no fear.
The personnel who specialize in mental health should support the eradication of these crimes by critical analysis of threats made by potential attackers. They should be available to offer guidance to the general public in case they need some advice. They should be able to identify unusual behavior from different people while working with the police. Incase rumors of an attack emerge; a quick response should be taken regardless of its credibility.
Terrorist attackers conduct these crimes as a result of stress or even depression due to some previous happenings in their life (Lankford, A. (2013). A comparative analysis of suicide terrorists and rampage, workplace, and school shooters in the United States from 1990 to 2010. Homicide Studies, 17(3), 255-274.). Some changes in their behavior can be used to inform the police of an upcoming crime e.g. purchase of firearms and explosives. For a certain period before this crime is conducted, the person shows some behavioral changes which can be identified by his friend and family. This may be a result of maybe failed court trials on the case presented by him while making his complaint hence making him try to make the individuals involved pay for their actions.
In this article, the researchers were focused on finding the main causes of terrorist-related crimes, how they are conducted on how they can be prevented. It has been identified that experts in psychological health and the police are highly capable of detecting an upcoming attack and potential threats in the attack through different ways as discussed. This has been facilitated by previous researches involving the people who conducted organized crimes. It has been concluded that although preventing these acts can be difficult, the rate of these activities can be reduced if the steps given are followed accordingly.
References
Lankford, A. (2013). A comparative analysis of suicide terrorists and rampage, workplace, and school shooters in the United States from 1990 to 2010. Homicide Studies, 17(3), 255-274.