Longevity of American Terrorists: Factors Affecting Sustainability, [United States], 1980-2015 (ICPSR 37175)
Version Date: Aug 29, 2019 View help for published
Principal Investigator(s): View help for Principal Investigator(s)
Brent L. Smith, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR37175.v1
Version V1
Summary View help for Summary
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 if further information is needed.
This study examined the longevity of individual terrorists using data from the American Terrorism Study (ATS).
Using these data, researchers examined the longevity of individual terrorists in relationship to five major factors: 1) the possible effects of changes in the Attorney General's Guidelines for terrorism investigations; 2) the impact of ideology, which may indirectly affect longevity through perpetrator and incident characteristics; 3) lone actors versus group participation; 4) the extent of participation in preparatory activity; and 5) the sophistication of the incidents in which the person participated.
Previous ATS research funded through National Institute of Justice (NIJ) by focusing on individual terrorists, instead of terrorist groups.
The collection includes 1 SPSS data file: ICPSR_Data_File_Edit.sav (n=346; 15 variables).
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Funding View help for Funding
Subject Terms View help for Subject Terms
Geographic Coverage View help for Geographic Coverage
Smallest Geographic Unit View help for Smallest Geographic Unit
None
Restrictions View help for Restrictions
Access to these data is restricted. Users interested in obtaining these data must complete a Restricted Data Use Agreement, specify the reason for the request, and obtain IRB approval or notice of exemption for their research.
Distributor(s) View help for Distributor(s)
Time Period(s) View help for Time Period(s)
Date of Collection View help for Date of Collection
Data Collection Notes View help for Data Collection Notes
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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 if further information is needed.
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Due to the masking of select information in the data collection, the syntax provided in the accompanying user guide documentation should be carefully reviewed by users prior to use.
Study Purpose View help for Study Purpose
The purpose of this study was to analyze factors associated with the longevity (the ability to commit acts of terrorism and evade capture) of terrorists.
Study Design View help for Study Design
The study examined the extent of participatory involvement, recruitment decisions, communication methods, incident characteristics, financial stability, precursor conduct, and spatial variations among terrorists with greater or lesser longevity.
Data analyzed included over 676 persons indicted in "officially designated" federal terrorism cases from 1980 to the present collected as part of the American Terrorism Study (ATS) and maintained in an Oracle relational database that included over 400 demographic, legal, behavioral, and spatial and temporal variables. Data on these 676 persons included information on 2,311 precursor activities and nearly 200 post-incident behaviors. Over 1,600 of these preparatory acts are now "date stamped" and linked to terrorist incidents.
Sample View help for Sample
At the time of the current project, the American Terrorism Study (ATS) included 1,140 case studies linked to 1,425 federal "terrorism-related" court cases involving 1,922 indictees. Data collection was complete on 605 terrorism incidents in the United States from 1980 to present. Analyses were limited to the 693 indicted individuals in the ATS who were linked to the planning or completion of a terrorist attack in the United States. All persons in the universe were selected.
Time Method View help for Time Method
Universe View help for Universe
The 346 indicted persons in the American Terrorism Study (ATS) database who were linked to the planning or completion of a terrorist attack in the United States during 1980-2015 and for whom sufficient information to establish longevity (a "start" and "end" date of terrorist activity) was available.
Unit(s) of Observation View help for Unit(s) of Observation
Data Source View help for Data Source
The American Terrorism Study (ATS), 1980-2015
Data Type(s) View help for Data Type(s)
Description of Variables View help for Description of Variables
The data file (ICPSR_Data_FileEdit.sav) contains 15 variables covering the following topics:
- Longevity (number of days between date of first preparatory activity and date of neutralization)
- Participatory activity (number of meetings divided by number of incidents)
- Relevant Attorney General guidelines (Levi, Smith, Ashcroft, Mukasey)
- Loner/group involvement
- Sophistication level
Response Rates View help for Response Rates
Not applicable
Presence of Common Scales View help for Presence of Common Scales
None
HideNotes
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 public-use data files in this collection are available for access by the general public. Access does not require affiliation with an ICPSR member institution.
One or more files in this data collection have special restrictions. Restricted data files are not available for direct download from the website; click on the Restricted Data button to learn more.