This article explores the late nineteenth-century transformation in Cretan law and interprets it as a strengthening of the criminal justice system. I argue that this interpretation clarifies the relationship between the Cretan state, on which the law was built, and interpersonal conflict between Cretans, while showing how Tanzimat reforms worked in practice. The violence involved in such interpersonal conflict is seen as a precursor to the violence that occurred in a society that valued mechanisms of communal justice as alternatives to weak state-sponsored justice. Closer societal analysis in fact shows the inaccuracy of labeling Cretan criminal justice institutions in this period as weak. While there was the understanding that responses to threat were symbolically necessary, they were part of the private realm and thus not technically considered criminal activities. However, retaliation in relation to an occurrence perceived to have taken place in the private realm was combined with methods of adjudication from state structures. This combination shows a tension between self-administered and state justice at this moment in Cretan history.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.