Political Crime

Abstract

Political crime is understandably and frequently one of the most misunderstood concepts in the field of criminology and criminal justice. This entry clarifies both definitional and conceptual issues. It briefly reviews the most dominant books and case studies that have examined the concept in whole or in part. It then examines research that has been conducted on political crime in the Anglo‐American democracies of the United States, Great Britain, Australia, and Canada. The entry is rounded out with examinations of recent scholarship and theoretical concerns, and research methods that are typically applied to political crime.

‘It’s a Matter of Land’: The Politics of Spatial Illegality and Cooperation in an Informal Settlement in Delhi

“…Building on Neocleous (2000), Garmany (2014) argues that state power is enacted by police officers who, in order to assert their authority, use discretionary power in ways that are not fully accounted for under the law. This obscures broader patterns of state power and violence, including instances of police criminality like corruption and acts of wrongful violence (Albrecht, 2017; Bayat, 1997; Neocleous, 2000; Ross, 2003).…”