School barricaded captive-taking: A literature review and critique

Although schools are among the safest places for children and youth, they are the occasional site of violent behavior. One form of violence is the barricaded-hostage event. In this article, the authors review the research literature pertaining to these events. Specifically, studies examining the impact on direct and indirect victims, and responders to these events, are presented and critiqued. Recommendations for future research are also made, followed by a summary and conclusions.

► We review and critique the research literature pertaining to school captive-takings. ► We focus first on studies that assess the impact on direct and indirect victims. ► We then review studies of responders' reactions to school captive-takings. ► Future research must address the after-effects, responders, motives, and resolution.