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American Terrorism Study, 1980-2002 (ICPSR 4639)

Released/updated on: 2007-07-30

Geographic coverage: United States

Time period: 1980-01-01--2002-08-01

This study was conducted in response to a lack of existing data collections relating specifically to acts of American terrorism. A primary goal of the study was to create an empirical database from which criminological theories and governmental policies could be effectively evaluated. The American Terrorism Study began in 1989 when the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) Terrorist Research and Analytical Center released a list of persons indicted as a result of investigation under the FBI's Counterterrorism Program. Since that time, FBI has released additional lists to the principal investigators. After receiving a list of persons indicted in federal criminal court as a result of an official terrorism investigation, the researchers reviewed the cases at either the federal district court where the cases were tried or at the federal regional records center where the cases were archived. The researchers divided the dataset into five distinct datasets. Part 1, Counts Data, provides data on every count for each indictee in each indictment. This is the basic dataset. There were 7,306 counts from 1980 to 2002. Part 2, Indictees Data, provides data on each of the 574 indictees from 1980-2002. Part 3, Persons Data, provides data on the 510 individuals who were indicted by the federal government as a result of a terrorism investigation. Part 4, Cases Data, provides one line of data for each of the 172 criminal terrorism cases that resulted from a federal terrorism investigation. Part 5, Group Data, provides one line of case data for each of the 85 groups that were tried in federal court for terrorism-related activity. Each of the five datasets includes information on approximately 80 variables divided into four major categories: (1) demographic information, (2) information about the terrorist group to which the individual belongs, (3) prosecution and defense data, and (4) count/case outcome and sentencing data.

Curated

Partially restricted

Assessment of Defense and Prosecutorial Strategies in Terrorism Trials in the United States, 1980-2004 (ICPSR 26241)

Released/updated on: 2014-11-11

Geographic coverage: United States

Time period: 1980-01-01--2004-01-01

This study created a flat-file database of information regarding defendants who were referred to United States Attorneys by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) following official terrorism investigations between 1980 and 2004. Its ultimate goal was to provide state and federal prosecutors with empirical information that could assist federal and state prosecutors with more effective strategies for prosecution of terrorism cases. The results of this study enhanced the existing 78 variables in the AMERICAN TERRORISM STUDY, 1980-2002 (ICPSR 4639) database by adding the 162 variables from the Prosecution and Defense Strategies (PADS) database. The variables in the PADS database track information regarding important pleadings, motions, and other key events that occur in federal terrorism trials; the PADS variables measure the strategies used by legal counsel as well as other legal nuances.

Curated

Domestic Terrorism: Assessment of State and Local Preparedness in the United States, 1992 (ICPSR 6566)

Released/updated on: 1996-10-01

Geographic coverage: United States

This project sought to analyze states' and municipalities' terrorism preparedness as a means of providing law enforcement with information about the prevention and control of terrorist activities in the United States. To accomplish this objective, a national survey of state and local law enforcement agencies was conducted to assess how law enforcement agencies below the federal level perceive the threat of terrorism in the United States and to identify potentially promising anti- and counter-terrorism programs currently used by these jurisdictions. For the purposes of this survey, the researchers used the legal definition of terrorism as provided by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which is "the unlawful use of force or violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment of either, to further political or social objectives." However, incidents reported by state or local law enforcement agencies as potential terrorist incidents often are reclassified as ordinary crimes by the FBI if the FBI investigation does not reveal evidence that more than one crime was intended to be committed or that a network of individuals had prepared to carry out additional acts. Since these reported potential terrorist incidents may provide important early warnings that an organized terrorism effort is emerging, the researchers broadened the official definition to include suspected incidents and state and local officials' perceptions of crime due to terrorism. Three distinct jurisdictions with overlapping responsibilities for terrorism preparedness were surveyed in this study: (1) state law enforcement agencies, in most cases the state police, (2) organizations with emergency preparedness responsibilities and statewide authority but with limited powers of law enforcement, and (3) local law enforcement agencies, such as municipal police and sheriff departments. Similar questions were asked for all three jurisdiction groups. Variables pertaining to the organization include questions about contingency plans, guidelines, and special police training for dealing with threats of terrorism, the amount and types of information and resources exchanged among various agencies, and whether the agency had a special terrorism unit and, if so, its duties. Variables dealing with threat assessment include whether the agency had identified right-wing, left-wing, international, ethnic/emigre, or special-issue terrorist groups within their jurisdiction and how many incidents were attributed to each group. Additional variables provide information on whether the agency was involved in investigating any terrorist incidents and the type of support received from other agencies for these investigations. The risk assessment section of the survey sought information on whether the agency had conducted a risk assessment and what potential terrorist targets were present in their jurisdiction. Questions in the threat environment section cover the respondent's assessment of the impact of the Persian Gulf War, the agency's sources of information pertaining to terrorism, the likelihood of terrorist attacks on various major installations nationally, and the likelihood of a major attack in their jurisdiction. Administrative variables include the number of sworn officers or professional staff, number of support staff, department's budget for the current fiscal year, whether the agency received federal funds, and what percentage of the federal funds were used for anti-terrorism efforts.

Curated

Partially restricted

Simple Crosstabs

Homeland Security in Small Law Enforcement Jurisdictions: Preparedness, Efficacy, and Proximity to Big-City Peers, 2011 (ICPSR 33941)

Released/updated on: 2015-12-22

Geographic coverage: United States

The Homeland Security in Small Law Enforcement Jurisdictions study drew upon data collected from 350 small (1-25 full time sworn officers) law enforcement agencies nationwide to address four gaps in the homeland security research literature and clarify/expand upon an empirically-derived model of homeland security preparedness and organizational efficacy.

Whether physical and relational proximity to large agency peers facilitates the development of homeland security preparedness and improves perceptions of organizational efficacy (the capacity of an organization to respond) in small agencies and, conversely, whether the geographic isolation of small, rural agencies inhibits homeland security efforts.
Whether efficacy of efforts to enhance homeland security is not just a function of perceived/actual risk or funding, but also other "institutional pressures", such as books and journal publications, as well as conferences, training, and other professional networks and channels.
Assessments of preparedness outcomes through "organizational efficacy", the perception about the organization's ability to accomplish its goals.
The lack of theoretical context, such as contingency and institutional theory frameworks, used to examine data on preparedness and organizational efficacy.

Curated

Partially restricted

Operation and Structure of Right-Wing Extremist Groups in the United States, 1980-2007 (ICPSR 25722)

Released/updated on: 2010-04-30

Geographic coverage: United States

Time period: 1980-01-01--2007-08-01

The purpose of this study was to address some of the gaps in what is known about right-wing terrorism by (1) comparing right-wing extremist "advocates" with "implementers", and (2) identifying internal processes related to organizational planning and group roles by focusing on how right-wing extremist groups recruit new members. Using a wide variety of secondary sources, the principal investigator collected data beyond what was available in the AMERICAN TERRORISM STUDY, 1980-2002 (ICPSR 4639) and constructed an alternate database, the Right-Wing Terrorist Recruitment (RWTR) database, that related to terrorist recruitment and individual-level risk factors. The research team collected data on a total of 112 persons from 16 right-wing extremist (RWE) groups. In order to analyze the recruitment process, the principal investigator developed a new codebook that included a greater number of variables designed to measure different dimensions of the recruitment process. Some of the variables the investigator included were already in the American Terrorism Study dataset, however, the variable categories were revised. Other variables were included in light of prior terrorism studies and related scholarship such as research in the areas of social movements and new religious movements. The investigator also designed variables to measure the structural characteristics of the recruitment process. The dataset includes a total of 82 terrorist recruitment and individual-level risk factor variables.

Curated

Partially restricted

Profiles of Individual Radicalization in the United States (PIRUS), 1948-2014 (ICPSR 36309)

Released/updated on: 2024-03-13

Geographic coverage: United States

Time period: 1948-01-01--2014-01-01

These data are part of NACJD's Fast Track Release and are distributed as they were received from the data depositor. The files have been zipped by NACJD for release, but not checked or processed except for the removal of direct identifiers. Users should refer to the accompanying readme file for a brief description of the files available with this collection and consult the investigator(s) if further information is needed.

The Empirical Assessment of Domestic Radicalization (EADR) project seeks to provide practitioners, researchers, and the public with an empirical foundation for understanding the radicalization processes of United States-based extremists. Project researchers utilized a mixed-method, nested approach to explore a number of key research questions related to radicalization, including:

what are the demographic, background, and radicalization differences between and within the different ideological milieus?
are there important contextual, personal, ideological, or experiential differences between radicals who commit violent acts and those who do not?
is it possible to identify sufficient pathways to violent extremism?
are the causal mechanisms highlighted by extant theories of radicalization supported by empirical evidence?

To address these questions, EADR researchers built the largest known database on individual radicalization in the United States: Profiles of Individual Radicalization in the United States (PIRUS). The database includes 147 variables covering demographic, background, group affiliation, and ideological information for a sample of 1,473 violent and non-violent extremists who radicalized in the United States from 1948-2014. The database is not limited to a particular ideological milieu, but instead contains information on individuals who adhere(d) to far right, far left, Islamist, and single-issue ideologies

The collection includes 5 SPSS datasets and 2 SPSS syntax files:

PIRUS_full_dataset_ICPSR_archive.sav (n=1,473; 113 variables)
PIRUS_expected_maximization_version.sav (n=16,203; 27 variables)
PIRUS_fixed_value_imputation_version.sav (n=1,473; 27 variables)
PIRUS_regression_based_imputation_version.sav (n=16,203; 28 variables)
PIRUS_subgroup_mean_substitution_version.sav (n=1,473; 27 variables)
quantitative_analysis_syntax.sps
variable_prep_syntax.sps

Curated

Partially restricted

The Role of Social Networks in the Evolution of Al Qaeda-inspired Violent Extremism in the United States, 1990-2014 (ICPSR 36235)

Released/updated on: 2021-09-30

Geographic coverage: United States

Time period: 1990-01-01--2014-01-01

This study compiled data on American jihadists and other Islamic extremists recruited since the early 1990s. Specifically, "homegrown" terrorist, referring to Americans and other Westerners who are inspired to commit acts of terrorism or support those committing these acts in their home country on behalf of foreign terrorist organizations, are the main focus. The purpose of this research is to address the central question: How do foreign terrorist organizations mobilize Americans to carry out attacks on their behalf?

Variables collected include extremist group affiliation, criminal background, foreign fighter history if applicable, coconspirators and their relationship, and the location and nature of terrorist plots. Demographic variables include sex, ethnicity, immigration status, education, and profession.

Curated

Partially restricted

Sequencing Terrorists' Precursor Behaviors: A Crime Specific Analysis, United States, 1980-2012 (ICPSR 36676)

Released/updated on: 2018-04-23

Geographic coverage: United States

Time period: 1980-01-01--2012-01-01

This study identified the temporal dimensions of terrorists' precursor conduct to determine if these behaviors occurred in a logically sequenced pattern, with a particular focus on the identification of sequenced patterns that varied by group type, group size, and incident type. The study specifically focused on how these pre-incident activities were associated with the successful completion or prevention of terrorist incidents and how they differed between categories of terrorism. Data utilized for this study came from the American Terrorism Study (ATS), a database that includes "officially designated" federal terrorism cases from 1980-October 1, 2016, collected for the National Institute of Justice.

The project focused on three major issues related to terrorists' precursor behaviors:

A subgroup analysis of temporal, crime-specific patterns by group type,
The nature of the planning process, and
Factors associated with the outcomes of terrorist incidents (success or failure).

The collection contains 2 SPSS data files, Final_Hypothesis_Data_Set.sav (n=550; 16 variables) and Final_Sequencing_Antecedent_Temporal.sav (n=2354; 16 variables), and 1 plain text file, Recode_Syntax.txt.