The only problem with this article is that the author has no idea what he is talking about.
There have been mass murders since the turn of the century.
There have been fewer in the 2000’s than in the 1990’s.
There is another thread on this very subject here on FR.
Around the turn of the 20 th century, Indians were still scalping and beheading people, even families out west. Quite a few weird murders too. I read quite a few accounts not long ago while reading newspapers from the 1890s while researching Great Lakes shipping.
You either didn’t read or didn’t understand the article. He’s quite clear on the fact that deinstitutionalization of the mentally contributed to the rising homicide rate of the 60’s, 70’ and 80’s and that the rising imprisonment movement of the 90’s decreased the murder rate.
Because the mentally ill are now in prisons instead of mental institutions.
It doesn’t solve the rampage killer problem however if a mentally ill person’s first contact with mental health or law enforcement is after the rampage as is often the case now that it is practically impossible to get mental health care or hospitalization for your unfriendly neighborhood psychotic until they kill somebody.