Criminologists James Densley and Jillian Peterson have spent the a decade studying hundreds of mass shootings. They are co-founders of The Violence Prevention Project, a Minnesota-based nonprofit that researches mass violence and pathways to prevention. “These are not young people who are criminal masterminds,” says Densley. “These are crimes that are rooted in despair.” Through interviews with mass shooters and people who knew them, Densley and Peterson say they’ve identified recurring patterns

Criminologists tell 60 Minutes that dismissing school shooters as monsters can undermine prevention. “If you see it that way, there’s really nothing we can do,” says Jillian Peterson, who has spent a decade studying hundreds of mass shootings. She argues this pushes communities toward hardened schools and active-shooter drills as primary solutions, rather than earlier intervention. But, she says, the typical shooter does not appear outwardly monstrous. “We have to start recognizing that the peop

“The best thing we can do to prevent violence is not to push kids out; it's to actually pull them in,” says Jillian Peterson, who has studied hundreds of mass shootings and interviewed the shooters themselves. https://cbsn.ws/4sirQbc | 60 Minutes