NCJ Number
246726
Journal
Aggression and Violent Behavior Volume: 19 Issue: 2 Dated: March/April 2014 Pages: 83-90
Date Published
April 2014
Length
8 pages
Annotation
The article examines strategies used by government and military officials to incite subordinates to engage in criminal conduct.
Abstract
This article uses the results of a literature review to examine strategies used by government and military officials to incite subordinates to engage in criminal conduct. Scant research has been conducted on how deadly orders are formulated and what factors are present that would push individuals to engage in violence. The article presents a research-based categorization of orders that authorities have used in ordering subordinates to engage in criminal conduct. These categories are 1) orders that give a choice in which the subordinates are told exactly what to do; 2) orders that are partial in which the given order clearly states the mission's objectives but no instructions are given on how to achieve them; 3) orders that are vague or ambiguous in which the order is overly general or implicit; 4) orders that are coded in which coded vocabulary or euphemisms are used; and 5) orders that are fragmented in which the order is deconstructed into a series of successive orders that progressively engage the subordinate in a chain of behaviors that are increasing problematic. References