Columbine, 20 Years Later and Beyond: Lessons from Tragedy

by Jaclyn Schildkraut, Glenn W. Muschert, Frank DeAngelis

Overview

This powerful retrospective analysis of the 1999 Columbine High School shooting aftermath considers society's response to the attack, long-term implications of the shooting, and the ways in which research and related policy must continue to move forward.

An indispensable resource for anyone interested in learning about the long-term impact of the 1999 Columbine High School shooting, Columbine, 20 Years Later and Beyond provides a comprehensive look at how the event unfolded, what has changed since the attack, and how this information can be used to prevent future mass shootings.

Authors Jaclyn Schildkraut and Glenn Muschert, both experts on mass shootings, share their broad understanding of this tragedy and its aftermath. Columbine became the measuring stick against which all other mass shootings would be compared, and this book details with great sensitivity the ensuing changes to school security, law enforcement's response to active shooter situations, threat assessment practices, legislative efforts, and media coverage of unfolding situations. With delicacy and tact, Schildkraut and Muschert help to answer the painful question raised by a stone on the wall of the Columbine Memorial: "What have we learned?".

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781440862526
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	01/17/2019
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	631,229
Product dimensions:	6.50(w) x 9.55(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Jaclyn Schildkraut, PhD, is associate professor of criminal justice at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Oswego. Her research interests include mass/school shootings, homicide trends, mediatization effects, moral panics, and crime theories.

Glenn W. Muschert, PhD, is professor of sociology at Khalifa University of Science and Technology in Abu Dhabi (UAE). He earned a BS in international studies from Drexel University (USA) and a PhD in sociology from the University of Colorado, Boulder (USA).

Table of Contents

Foreword Frank DeAngelis ix

Preface xv

Acknowledgments xvii

Chapter 1 April 20, 1999 1

Chapter 2 The Columbine Legacy 13

Chapter 3 We Interrupt This Program to Bring You Breaking News 23

Chapter 4 Police Responses, Then and Now 39

Chapter 5 Piecing Together the Past 53

Chapter 6 Securing Our Nation's Schools 67

Chapter 7 An Outcry for Change 89

Chapter 8 The (Failed) Firestorm of Legislation 107

Chapter 9 The Larger Community Footprint 121

Chapter 10 The Infamy of the Shooters 145

Chapter 11 Profiling School and Mass Shooters 153

Chapter 12 A Piece of Popular Culture History 161

Chapter 13 Moving Beyond the Columbine Effect 169

References 179

Index 227

What People are Saying About This

Ralph W. Larkin

"Jaclyn Schildkraut and Glenn W. Muschert have done a magnificent job in documenting the lessons we have learned from Columbine over the past 20 years. Even the most knowledgeable persons will learn from this masterful work. Columbine, 20 Years Later and Beyond fills a glaring gap in our knowledge about the shootings and their effects on the Columbine community and America. Although scholarly and fact-based, the book reveals the authors’ sensitivity and compassion for all those affected by the event. It is a must-read for anyone who is seriously interested in the Columbine shootings and their subsequent impact on American society. Columbine was a watershed event that had wide-ranging and lasting effects on our country; it had worldwide ramifications. Because of its notoriety, much has been written in the wake of Columbine that has been ill-informed, misleading, biased, and shortsighted. In this book, Schildkraut and Muschert have provided a much-needed corrective. They offer a comprehensive and unbiased analysis of the event and its impact. They are to be congratulated on their efforts to set the record straight. It could not come at a better time. Presently any significant historical event is used by ideologists who apparently have no familiarity with the truth to proffer interpretations to enhance their own political views. In cases such as Columbine, where pundits have thrown blame at their favorite targets, such as liberal parenting, removing prayer from schools, toleration of gender diversity, lack of armed teachers, and such that have nothing to do with the actual event, it is important for knowledgeable researchers to provide sober and sensible analyses. This is the glory of Schildkraut and Muschert’s efforts. The truth lives in their work. It is thoughtful, well documented, and evenhanded. I recommend this work without reservation. It is a significant continuation of the contributions of the many scholars who have tried to provide cogent analyses of how Columbine fits into the fabric of American society."

Peter Langman

"This book is a comprehensive analysis of the wide-ranging influence of the most notorious school shooting in America. The authors explore what has changed as a result of Columbine, as well as the areas where progress has not occurred. From the impact on survivors of mass shootings to the tactics of first responders, from media coverage of rampage attacks to legislative attempts to change firearm laws, from school safety procedures to the influence on subsequent shooters, Schildkraut and Muschert document the nation’s response to a traumatic event that continues to shape our culture twenty years later.”

Jack Levin

"In their outstanding volume, Schildkraut and Muschert examine every important thing you have ever wanted to know about the Columbine massacre. Viewing Columbine as a watershed cultural event, the authors provide an amazingly perceptive analysis of the larger problem of mass shootings at schools around the country. Anyone who seeks enlightenment regarding this thorny social problem—criminologists, psychologists, and intelligent laypeople alike—cannot afford to ignore this volume’s important lessons."

Editorial Reviews

Recommended. All readership levels.” —Choice

From the Publisher