Political Crime Defining Political Crime Barkan any illegal

Political Crime

Defining Political Crime • Barkan, “. . . any illegal or socially injurious act aimed at preserving or changing the existing political and social order”’ • Crimes of the Government • Crimes against the Government

Crimes by the Government • Genocide – Nazis – Cambodia (Khmer Rouge/Pol Pot, 1970 s) – Bosnia-Herzegovina (1992) • Torture/Assassination – Widespread, but short of genocide (Russia Under Stalin) – In United States?

Crimes By Government II • Surveillance/Infiltration – COINTELPRO (1950 s-1970 s) – The “Patriot Act” (October, 2001) • Legal Repression – Show trials, Imprisoning dissidents – U. S. ? • Labor Radicals • The Palmer Raids • Communists (Mc. Carthy)

Crimes by Government III • Illegal Experiments – Tuskegee experiment – Nazi experiments • State-Corporate Crime – Challenger explosion • Political Corruption – Teapot Dome, Watergate, Iran-Contra…

Crimes Against the Government • Mass Political Violence – Rebellion & Riots – Political Assassinations

Crimes Against the Government II • Civil Disobedience – Direct vs. Indirect – Socrates, St. Thomas Aquinas, U. S. Quakers, Susan B. Anthony, Rosa Parks, MLK’s “Letter from Birmingham City Jail. ” – Current U. S. ? • Espionage/Treason

Terrorism—A Typology • • Vigilante Terrorism Insurgent Terrorism Transnational Terrorism State Terrorism • How to Combat Terrorism?

Explaining Political Crime • Political Crime as heterogeneous • Much P. C. revolves around Power – Totalitarian vs. Democratic governments