Triggers of brutality

Timothy A. Akers, William G. Hervey and Tina Billington-Hughes

Chapter 37 in Research Handbook on Violent Crime and Society, 2025, pp 620-636 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: This chapter examines the intersection of public health and extreme violence through the lens of epidemiological criminology. The authors investigate ‘push-pull’ factors that drive individuals towards extreme violent behaviors, emphasizing the role of health determinants in fostering these acts. By integrating public health, epidemiological tools and criminological theories, the chapter introduces a novel and emerging disciplinary framework—epidemiological criminology. Utilizing the epidemiological triad, the framework analyzes extreme violence through the interactions of the perpetrator (agent), victims or affected communities (host), and the societal or physical conditions that foster violence (environment). Additionally, the chapter introduces the metaphor of the ‘singularity of violence,’ comparing extreme violent acts to a black hole that accumulates societal pressures until erupting into destructive behavior. The authors advocate for interdisciplinary and pan-disciplinary approaches, calling for a dialectical analysis of traditional theories to more effectively address this urgent issue.

Keywords: Epidemiological criminology; Extreme violence; Public health; Push-pull factors; Singularity of violence; Agent-host-environment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
ISBN: 9781035317851
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