Crime and human rights : criminology of genocide and atrocities / Joachim J. Savelsberg.

Errata inserted.

Includes bibliographical references (pages [117]-123) and index.

Introduction How Have Governments Responded to Atrocities and Human Rights Violations? PART ONE: ARE THERE TRENDS IN CONTROLLING HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS? When Are Atrocities Crimes? How and Why Have States and Governments Been Constrained? PART TWO: WHAT CAN CRIMINOLOGY CONTRIBUTE TO (AND LEARN FROM)THE STUDY OF SERIOUS HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS? Introduction How Does Genocide Unfold? The Case of the Holocaust Can Genocide Studies and Criminology Enrich Each Other? How Can Criminology Address Contemporary Atrocities? PART THREE: HOW CAN HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS BE FOUGHT? What Is the Role of Criminal Courts? How Effective Can Courts Be and What Can Help Them?

Crimes against humanity are amongst the most shocking violations imaginable. Savelsberg's text provides a much-needed criminological insight to the topic, exploring explanations of and responses to human rights abuses. Linking human rights scholarship with criminological theory, the book is divided into three parts: Part 1: Examines the legal and historical approach to the topic within a criminological framework Part 2: Unpicks the aetiology of human rights offending with real and detailed case studies Part 3: Explores institutional responses to crimes and uses criminological theory to offer solutions. Seminal yet concise, Crime and Human Rights is written for advanced students, postgraduates and scholars of crime, crime control and human rights. With its fresh and original approach to a complex topic, the book's appeal will span across disciplines from politics and sociology to development studies, law, and philosophy. Joachim Savelsberg brings a unique perspective and research background to the topic of crime and human rights. The book provides a succinct and penetrating analysis that persuasively explains why contemporary criminology must widen its boundaries to make human rights crimes a priority for our field. This book is essential reading for scholars and students. Joachim Savelsberg is one of the world's finest sociologists of crime and the institutions through which it is constituted and controlled. In this brief but path-breaking study he shows how the tools of criminological analysis can deepen our understanding of the processes that produce genocide and crimes against humanity - and why an engagement with human rights is essential for a 21st century criminology that aspires to depth and relevance.