Testing Competing Theories of Violence

Duke University, Durham NC

Investigators

Abstract

SES-1060940 Jeffrey Swanson Duke University This project is a scientific inquiry into the societal problem of violence; the link between mental disorder and risk of violence; and the function of laws designed to reduce that risk. It will provide scientific evidence to evaluate the effectiveness of alternative policies and regulations around violence. The study will empirically test three theories explaining violence: psychopathological motivation, which attributes violent behavior to features and manifestations of the mental illness; criminogenic risk exposure over the life course, which attributes violent behavior to exposure to social and environmental influences, and social labeling processes, which accounts for the influence of socially-imposed labels about dangerousness. The investigators will analyze administrative data from Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New York. The broader impact of this study will be the contribution of new evidence that could contribute to improving policies and regulations and will test the effectiveness of laws that are intended to reduce violence.