THEORY OF CRUELTY in the Context of the Death Penalty as a Cruel and Inhumane Punishment

1. THEORY OF CRUELTYin the Context of the Death Penaltyas a Cruel and Inhumane Punishment Assist. Prof. Dr. Anna-Maria Getoš the Faculty of Law of the University of Zagreb Head of the Max Planck Partner Group for Balkan Criminology

2. Structure • Theory of Cruelty (Trutz von Trotha) • Cruelty as a Form of Violence • What is Cruelty? • Cruelty – State of Art • Theory of Cruelty • Dispositions of Cruelty • Discussion on Death Penalty Arguments • On Execution (Wolfgang Sofsky)

3. Theory of Cruelty (T. v. Trotha) Cruelty as a Form of Violence • Trotha's Sociology of Violence [TrutzvonTrotha(1997). Zur Soziologie der Gewalt. In: TrutzvonTrotha(Ed.), Soziologie der Gewalt. Kölner Zeitschrift für Soziologie und Sozialpsychologie, Sonderheft 37,9-56.] • "NeueGewaltforschung"  "newresearch on violence" • Ethnographic (CliffordGeertz) and antireductionist "phenomenologically thick description of violence" • Focus on violence  the how, rather than the why [Trutzvon Trotha (2000/01). Gewaltforschung auf Popitzschen Wegen. Antireduktionismus, Zweckhaftigkeit und Körperlichkeit der Gewalt, Gewalt und Herrschaft. Mittelweg 36 9:16,26-36.]

4. Theory of Cruelty (T. v. Trotha) What is Cruelty?(p. 14) [Trutz von Trotha (2011). On Cruelty. Conceptual Considerations and a Summary of an Interdisciplinary Debate. In: Trutz von Trotha, Jakob Rösel (Eds.), On Cruelty · Sur la cruauté · ÜberGrausamkeit. Siegener Beiträge zur Soziologie,Volume 11, 1-67] "Cruelty is the syndrome of dispositions, general human abilities by social actors, and cruel action." • Cruelty as an anthropological fact • Cruelty as a sociological fact

5. Theory of Cruelty (T. v. Trotha) Cruelty as an anthropological fact(p. 14) "Cruel action involves an actor with the intention to inflict physical pain or psychological, social, or spiritual suffering on a living being capable of experiencing pain, against the will or resistance of that being. This pain or suffering typically leads to serious damage, up to and including the killing or suicide of the victim. Pain and suffering inflicted upon the victim display an element of excessiveness according to the categories of the respective culture. Pain and suffering experienced by the victim differ from "usual" painful experiences. This includes existential fear of or the experience of physical pain, hopeless helplessness, and existential abandonment."

6. Theory of Cruelty (T. v. Trotha) Cruelty as a sociological fact(pp. 14-15) "On the other hand, cruelty is the syndrome of cruel action, social practices, and social situations and facilities that promote cruel action, or, in manifold "orders of cruelty," institutionalize and ritualize it." "Established within political and legal institutions, cruelty is among the phenomena with the most serious social consequences." "Cruel action […] is intentional action by responsible actors."

7. Theory of Cruelty (T. v. Trotha) Cruelty – State of Art (p. 16-17) [Trutz von Trotha (2011). On Cruelty. Conceptual Considerations and a Summary of an Interdisciplinary Debate. In: Trutz von Trotha, JakobRösel (Eds.), On Cruelty · Sur la cruauté · ÜberGrausamkeit. SiegenerBeiträgezurSoziologie, Volume 11, 1-67] Lack of… • description and definition of cruelty • research on correlations in origins and methods of cruelty • research and theory on (de)institutionalized cruelty • prognosis and treatment of cruelty • theory of cruelty

8. Theory of Cruelty (T. v. Trotha) Theory of Cruelty (pp. 61-67) • criticism of cruelty • deciphering cruelty in its context • a theory of cruelty requires two things: • ethnography of cruelty (thick description of cruel action and its political, cultural, social, and economic contexts) • institutionalization and de-institutionalization processes of cruelty • abolitionist de-institutionalizationofindividualmanifestationsofcruelty (torture, deathpenalty…)by UN, globallyactingchurches, NGOs… • generalizingdeinstitutionalizationofcruelty (genocide, violentconflicts…)

9. Theory of Cruelty (T. v. Trotha) Dispositions of Cruelty (pp. 122-146) [Trutz von Trotha (2011). Dispositionen der Grausamkeit. Über die anthropologischenGrundlagengrausamenHandelns. In: Trutz von Trotha, JakobRösel (Eds.), On Cruelty · Sur la cruauté · ÜberGrausamkeit. SiegenerBeiträgezurSoziologie, Volume 11, 122-146] • cruelty as dissolution of the boundaries of human power relations - unlimited power (Entgrenzung des menschlichenMachtverhältnisses) that leads to the ultimate perfection of power (Vollkommenheit der Macht) • cruelty is part of the human nature and is therefore anthropologically rooted

10. Theory of Cruelty (T. v. Trotha) Dispositions of Cruelty (p. 146) T. v. Trotha localizes the causes of cruelty in two human dispositions: • disposition to strive after unlimited power • disposition to be fascinated by cruelty

11. Discussion - Death Penalty Arguments • deterrence argument – death penalty is the ultimate warning • retribution argument – it provides closure for victims • the death penalty (today) is humane – lethal injection • proportionality argument – the best answer to the most heinous crimes

12. On Execution (W. Sofsky) Selected parts in English

13. THANK YOUFORYOUR ATTENTION! Assist. Prof. Dr. Anna-Maria Getoš agetos@pravo.hr www.balkan-criminology.eu