Compared to other sectors of government, limited research has been performed analyzing harassing and threatening behavior toward the judicial branch, despite noteworthy cases of violent activity directed toward judges and other judicial personnel. Data for this study involved 351 cases drawn from the United States Marshals Service’s threat investigation files. Consistent with other targeted violence literature, a range of concerning behavior was directed toward the USMS protectees, with a majority of the contacts involving threatening communications. The concerning behavior in question was also influenced by a range of grievances, with many taking a personalized theme involving legal and related concerns. Multivariate analyses indicate that the problematic approach was significantly related to intensity of effort demonstrated within contact behaviors. Level of threatening behavior and incarceration status also related to approach activity. Problematic behavior was found to significantly decrease after various USMS interventions. Implications of the findings are discussed in detail.
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