It's been 20 years since the Columbine High School shooting, and schools today are no safer. Based on two years of research into the life histories of over 150 mass shooters, Dr. Jillian Peterson explains why our current school safety strategies like lock down drills and security have failed, and uses data to suggest new strategies to prevent mass shootings.

Dr. Jillian Peterson is a psychologist and professor of criminal justice at Hamline University. She previously worked as an investigator on death penalty cases before obtaining her doctorate in psychology and social behavior from the University of California, Irvine. Her areas of research and expertise include forensic psychology, violence prevention, and mental illness. Dr. Peterson recently received a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice to study the life histories of mass shooters in order to develop new pathways for prevention.

Lead Videographer: Autumn Vagle
Assistant Videographers: Emma Larson, Anna Heckmann
Introductory Graphic: Jackson Cobb
Jillian Peterson, Ph.D., is a professor of criminal justice at Hamline University and the faculty director of the Hamline Center for Justice and Law. Dr. Peterson received her doctorate in Psychology and Social Behavior from the University of California, Irvine after previously working as an investigator on death penalty cases in Chicago and New York. She has led large-scale research studies on mental illness and crime, school shooting prevention, and mass violence which have received national media attention. Her areas of interest and expertise are forensic psychology, violence, mental illness in the criminal justice system, and evidence-based public policy. She is also trained in restorative justice, violence mediation, crisis intervention, de-escalation, and suicide prevention. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx