We all have events or situations in our childhood that shape who we are today. While many are uplifting, there are less fortunate people who encountered childhood trauma, setting them off track to commit some of the most upsetting crimes. Dr. Jillian Peterson, President and Co-Founder of The Violence Project, has dedicated her career to investigating these stories. While with the New York Capital Defender’s Office, she analyzed physiological social development life histories of death row inmates to determine patterns of events that led them from childhood to—in some cases—committing murder.
In this episode, Fred and Jill discuss the pathways to violence, and the (all too often) missed opportunities for prevention when it comes to mass shootings. She shares the common patterns of pre-incident behaviors, from the level of planning, communication, and connection to the location where the violence occurred. Importantly, she shares helpful guidance for better monitoring plans, and voices her hope that more individuals will change their path when planning an act of violence as we use technology to track and connect with more people.
Episode length: 25 minutes
Source: The Ontic Protective Intelligence Podcast with Fred Burton