How can criminology contribute to an explanation of international crimes?
International crimes are much more in the focus of criminology now than they were in the last century, but still there are other disciplines, like history or social psychology, that have contributed much more to their explanation. The author critically reviews the research results available inside a...
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2014
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| In: |
Journal of international criminal justice
Year: 2014, Volume: 12, Issue: 2, Pages: [231]-252 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (Resolving-System) |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Summary: | International crimes are much more in the focus of criminology now than they were in the last century, but still there are other disciplines, like history or social psychology, that have contributed much more to their explanation. The author critically reviews the research results available inside and outside the field of criminology as to the conditions under which international crimes can emerge, differentiating between situational aspects and the characteristics of the individual perpetrators. Among the situational influences that foster the perpetration of international crimes, ideology, obedience to authority, escalating commitment and adaptation to group norms are identified to be most important. Micro-sociological characteristics of situations in which atrocities will occur are also discussed. Then the characteristics of the perpetrators are scrutinized, starting from a review of the most common offender typologies. Criminological theories can help explain the involvement of individuals in international crimes. This is especially true for the theory of neutralization techniques. Rejecting purely situationist or individualistic approaches, the author concludes that only an interactionist view can provide for a comprehensive causal model of attribution. Different theories and variables can be combined into a multifactorial theory that in principle considers all possible influences. |
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| Physical Description: | Online-Ressource |
| ISSN: | 1478-1395 |
| DOI: | 10.1093/jicj/mqu020 |