There is no uniform profile of a jihadist terrorist, but individuals who become radicalized to terrorism tend to follow a predictable process.  Sponsored by the National Institute of Justice, this research provides evidence that individuals in the process of becoming dangerously radicalized exhibit predictable and detectable behaviors.  In this study, researchers examined detailed forensic biographies of 135 American jihadism-inspired homegrown terrorists.  Biographies included court documents, online communications posted by terrorist offenders, media profiles, and interviews with family members.  All of the subjects were judged to have become radicalized while living in the United States.  The research provides several findings and policy recommendations.

The National Center for Campus Public Safety has launched a free webinar series, “Campus Public Safety Online.”  The first webinar will offer an overview of the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services-funded Averted School Violence (ASV) database and its application to higher education.  The database is a free resource for those who play a role in school safety across the country at both the K-12 and higher education levels.  The ASV database is used to collect, analyze, and share information on both averted and completed acts of violence in schools that have occurred post-Columbine. 

Date:  Tuesday, January 22, 2019

Time:  2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m., ET

On October 29 and 30, 2018, the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Hate Crimes Enforcement and Prevention Initiative hosted a law enforcement roundtable in Washington, DC, on improving the identification and reporting of hate crimes.  This roundtable explored promising practices and challenges in identifying, reporting, and tracking hate crimes with the overarching goal of generating ideas for actionable steps both locally and for the greater law enforcement community.  During this roundtable, DOJ announced several resources, including a new hate crimes website, information on how to request free hate crimes technical assistance via the Office of Community Policing Services’ Collaborative Reform Initiative for Technical Assistance Center, update on hate crimes prosecutions, and several examples of trainings from the Community Relations Service.

The Center for Cyber and Homeland Security (CCHS) at George Washington University is a nonpartisan “think and do” tank whose mission is to carry out policy-relevant research and analysis on homeland security, counterterrorism, and cybersecurity issues.  By convening domestic and international policymakers and practitioners at all levels of government, the private and nonprofit sectors, and academia, CCHS develops innovative strategies to address and confront current and future threats.

The Bureau of Justice Assistance leadership, in collaboration with the Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Program team, invites you to attend a no-cost webinar on January 24, 2019, at 2:00 p.m., ET, concerning medication-assisted training (MAT).  MAT is a practice that pairs Food and Drug Administration-approved medications with non-drug therapies such as counseling or cognitive behavioral therapy.  Research has shown that MAT significantly increases patients’ adherence to treatment, reduces illicit opioid use compared with non-drug approaches, and is more effective than either behavioral intervention or medication alone.