Journal of Threat Assessment and Management

Journal of Threat Assessment and Management
Title	Journal of Threat Assessment and Management
Discipline	Threat assessment; risk management; forensic psychology
Abbreviation	J. Threat Assess. Manag.
Publisher	American Psychological Association
Country	United States
History	2014–present
Frequency	Quarterly
Issn	2169-4842

Journal of Threat Assessment and Management is a peer-reviewed scholarly periodical publishing research on violent risk assessment, risk management, and threat mitigation. The journal serves practitioners and researchers working at the intersection of clinical psychology, forensic psychiatry, law enforcement, and security studies, emphasizing evidence-based approaches to assessing and managing targeted violence. It features empirical studies, case analyses, methodological advances, and policy-relevant reviews that inform threat assessment practice across institutional and public settings.

History

The journal was established in 2014 under the aegis of the American Psychological Association, emerging amid increased attention from agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Homeland Security, and Secret Service to prevention of targeted violence. Early editorial leadership included figures affiliated with National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime, Uniformed Services University, and College of Policing researchers who collaborated with scholars from Harvard Medical School, Johns Hopkins University, and Columbia University. Initial volumes featured contributions referencing casework involving institutions like Virginia Tech and incidents that prompted inquiries by the 9/11 Commission, alongside interdisciplinary dialogues with experts from RAND Corporation, Brookings Institution, and Stanford University.

Scope and Aims

The journal aims to advance empirical knowledge on threat identification, threat management, and violent extremist behavior, addressing settings such as campuses, workplaces, and public venues including Yale University, University of Texas at Austin, and Sandy Hook Elementary School-related scholarship. It seeks submissions bridging clinical assessment protocols developed at institutions like Mayo Clinic and Massachusetts General Hospital with operational practices used by Metropolitan Police Service, New York Police Department, and international agencies such as INTERPOL and the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation. The scope includes methodological innovations influenced by research centers such as Harvard Kennedy School, University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, and think tanks including Chatham House and Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Abstracting and Indexing

The journal is indexed in disciplinary and multidisciplinary databases and services that catalog content alongside journals from American Journal of Psychiatry, Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, and Criminology. It is listed in major abstracting services used by libraries at Library of Congress, British Library, and university systems including University of California, University of Michigan, and University of Toronto. Scholarly metrics track its citations alongside outlets like Psychological Bulletin, Journal of Criminal Justice, and Law and Human Behavior in repositories accessed by researchers at National Institutes of Health, Wellcome Trust, and Social Science Research Council.

Editorial Board and Peer Review

The editorial board comprises clinicians and researchers affiliated with institutions such as University of North Carolina, University of Pennsylvania, University of Chicago, University of Minnesota, Columbia University, King's College London, and University of Sydney. Editors have professional ties to organizations including the American Academy of Forensic Psychology, International Association of Forensic Mental Health Services, and Association for Psychological Science. The journal uses a double-blind peer-review process modeled on standards established by journals like JAMA Psychiatry and The Lancet Psychiatry, drawing reviewers from expert networks at Cornell University, Dartmouth College, and Georgetown University.

Publication Ethics and Policies

Policies align with ethical guidelines promulgated by professional bodies such as the American Psychological Association and oversight recommendations referenced by Office for Human Research Protections and institutional review boards at universities including Princeton University and Brown University. The journal requires disclosure of conflicts of interest for contributors associated with consulting engagements for agencies like the FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit, private firms such as Booz Allen Hamilton, or government contracts with the National Security Agency. Standards for research involving human subjects reflect practices used at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and publication integrity systems similar to those at Nature, Science, and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Impact and Reception

The journal has been cited in policy reports from institutions like RAND Corporation, Brookings Institution, and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, and referenced in practitioner guidelines used by entities such as U.S. Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center and the National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime. Scholarly reception compares its contributions to established outlets including Journal of Interpersonal Violence, Aggression and Violent Behavior, and Behavioral Sciences & the Law, noting its role in synthesizing research from centers such as George Washington University, Arizona State University, and University of California, Los Angeles. The journal's articles inform training curricula at institutions like Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers and are incorporated into coursework at professional schools including Columbia Law School and George Mason University.

Category:Academic journals Category:Forensic psychology journals Category:American Psychological Association journals