Chapter Eleven

1. Chapter Eleven Political Crime and Terrorism Siegel 10th edition

2. Political Crime • Since 9/11 political crime and terrorism have become important areas of criminological inquiry • Political crime can be violent and nonviolent • Terrorism is only one type of politically motivated crime • Definition of political crime • Illegal acts that are designed to undermine an existing government and threaten its survival, e.g., dissent, treason, espionage, terrorism, or assassination.

3. The Nature of Political Crime • May stem from religious or ideological beliefs • May not be easy to always label political criminals as antisocial • Motivations shift between selfish and selfless desires • Behavior is often between conventional and outlawed behavior • Political criminals may be motivated by conviction and not greed • Acts are often motivated by a higher calling

4. The Goals of Political Crime • Intimidation • Revolution • Profit • Conviction / pseudo-conviction

5. Becoming a Political Criminal • No set reason why someone becomes a political criminal • There is a regularity in the way ideas are formed • Stage 1 – “It’s not right” • Stage 2 – “It’s not fair” • Stage 3 – “It’s your fault” • Stage 4 – “You’re evil”

6. Types of Political Crime • Election Fraud • Treason • Espionage • Spying on governments, organizations, or society • Industrial espionage • Foreign industrial espionage • Economic Espionage Act of 1996

7. Election Fraud The illegal interference with the process of an election. • Intimidation or threats • Disruption, e.g., bomb threats • Misinformation, e.g., misleading information such as election date or eligibility requirements • Registration fraud, e.g., busing in noneligible voters using “change of address” forms • Vote buying, e.g., absentee ballots

8. Treason According to the United States Criminal Code, “whoever, owing allegiance to the United States, levies war against them or adheres to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort within the United Sates or elsewhere, is guilty of treason and shall suffer death, or shall be imprisoned not less than five years and fined under this title but not less than $10,000; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States.”

9. Espionage(Spying) The practice of obtaining information about a government, organization, or society that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Industrial Espionage Foreign Industrial Espionage

10. State Political Crime • Sometimes state authorities commit crimes against the people they are supposed to serve • Goal may be to maintain power or to uphold the race, class, and gender advantage of those who support the government

11. Varieties of State Political Crimes • Political Corruption • Illegal Domestic Surveillance • Human Rights Violations • State Violence • Can include various acts of torture • State-corporate Crime

12. Torture? Ticking Bomb Scenario?

13. Political Crime and Terrorism • Political crime is an act that carries with it the intent to disrupt and change the government and must not merely be a simple common law crime committed for reasons of greed or egotism. These are sometimes referred to as convictional criminals– those who believe their actions will benefit society. • Terrorism generally involves the premeditated illegal use of force (violence) against innocent people to achieve a political objective or to commit a political crime. • Terrorism can also include economic or social reform efforts.

14. History of Terrorism • Acts of terrorism have been known throughout history. • Religious Roots • Gain right to practice their own religion • Establish the supremacy of their own religion over others • Meet the requirements of the blood-thirsty god or gods they worshipped • Political Roots • Used as a tactic to gain political rights when rulers had absolute power

15. Terrorism • Terrorism is the political crime that most are concerned with. • There is a long history of terrorism. • Still hard to define it and to separate terrorist acts from interpersonal crimes of violence. • To be considered terrorism an act must carry the intent to disrupt and change the government and must not be merely a common-law crime committed for greed. • Often need illegal force against innocent people to achieve an objective (not always political). • Economic or social reform

16. Characteristics of Terrorism • Political in aims and motives. • Exploitation of fear (terror) through violence or the threat of violence. • Psychological effects (fear through intimidation). • Perpetrated by some organizational entity with an identifiable chain of command capable of conspiratorial conduct. • Perpetrated by a subnational group or non-state entity.

17. Characteristics of Terrorism(cont’d) • Designed to create power when there is no power. • To terrorists, there are no rules of warfare or codes of conduct. • The goal is that through the publicity generated from their violence, terrorists will have the leverage to effect political change.

18. Terrorist and Guerilla • “Terrorist” is often used interchangeably with “guerilla” • Guerilla comes from the Spanish term meaning “little war” • Terrorists have an urban focus • Operate in small bands of 3-5 members, target the property or persons of their enemy • Guerillas are located in rural areas • Attack the military, the police, or government officials • The two types can infiltrate the other areas

19. Terrorist and Insurgent • Insurgents are usually the opposition forces in a conflict • Goal of insurgents are to confront the existing government for control of all or part of its territory • Do not always use violence • Require support of a significant portion of the population • When they do use violence it is often to inspire support and gain converts

20. Terrorist and Revolutionary • A revolution is seen as a civil war • Fighting occurs between nationalists and a sovereign power that holds control of the land or, • Between the existing government and local groups over ideology and power • Can be violent • American Revolution, French Revolution • Can be nonviolent • Non-violent demonstrations in Iran (1970s)

21. Revolutionary Political Nationalistic Cult Based State-Sponsored Environmental Criminal Forms of Terrorism

22. Contemporary Forms of Terrorism • Revolutionary Terrorists • Political Terrorists • Right Wing Political Groups • Left Wing Political Groups • Eco-Terrorism • Nationalist Terrorism • Retributive Terrorism • State Sponsored Terrorism • Cult Terrorism • Criminal Terrorism

23. Organization of Terror Groups • Terrorist groups tend to be networked or hierarchical • Most groups subdivide their affiliates into terror cells • Each cell may function independently to one is not compromised by another’s actions • Cells can be based on location, employment, family, function

24. What Motivates the Terrorists? • Psychological View • Socialization View • Ideological View • Alienation View

25. Question How can state sponsored terror be explained?

26. Response to Terrorism • Law Enforcement • Federal Law Enforcement • Department of Homeland Security • National Counterterrorism Center • Using the Law • USA Patriot Act • Civil Rights Issues • Political Solutions