NCJ Number
137322
Date Published
1974
Length
189 pages
Annotation
This book examines concepts that distinguish various types of lawbreaking that differ according to the motives, goals, and moral values of the offender. It focuses on the political offender who breaks laws in the interest of creating a system and laws that embody a higher morality than currently exists.
Abstract
The author first reviews political crime in history and the significance of political criminality. The author notes that the political criminal differs from the conventional criminal by the altruistic nature of the motives involved in the lawbreaking. Whereas, conventional criminals break the law for the purpose of personal gain without regard for those injured or harmed by such gain, the political or "convictional" criminal acts out of a vision of a better society and a better life for others. The convictional criminal intends to act out of moral conviction that disregards personal gain or personal loss. For the convictional criminal, lawbreaking is a carefully selected instrument to publicize and advance the concept of a more moral society that is impeded by current laws. Even in the lawbreaking, however, the convictional criminal is careful not to engage in behaviors that conflict with the moral vision being promoted. The author identifies another type of criminal that he classifies as the "pseudoconvictional" criminal. This criminal breaks the law under the cloak of seeking a better, more moral life for others, but with ulterior motives for personal gain. The challenge of those who seek true prophets among political lawbreakers is to draw upon moral insight that will distinguish the convictional from the pseudo-convictional political offender. A 187-item selected bibliography