International perspectives on prevention and intervention in school shootings

Abstract

During the last decade, school shootings throughout the world have established the need for preventive measures, especially in North America and Europe where most cases occurred. Prevention strategies should base on scientific research that recognizes the difficulties of identifying reliable warning signs and risk factors for a low base rate phenomenon. Universal preventive measures aim to reduce risk in unselected populations (e.g., reduce bullying); indicated prevention measures use more immediate indicators, such as threats of violence and leaking, to identify persons at risk of committing an offense (i.e., threat assessment). Even with good prevention programs in place, schools need crisis response plans enabling them to react quickly and minimize harm in the event of a violent attack (i.e., limiting access to schools). We identify general difficulties of preventing school shootings and review different prevention and intervention strategies, highlighting some of the most promising approaches in the United States and Germany.