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Administration & Society
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Preventing State Crimes Against Democracy

Lance deHaven-Smith

Florida State University, Tallahassee

Matthew T. Witt

University of La Verne, California

Correspondence: Lance deHaven-Smith, Bellamy Building, 6th Floor, Tallahassee, FL 32306-2250; e-mail: ldehavensmith{at}fsu.edu.

This article analyzes U.S. vulnerabilities to state crimes against democracy (SCADs). SCADs are actions or inactions by government insiders intended to manipulate democratic processes and undermine popular sovereignty. Watergate and Iran–Contra are well-known examples of SCADs involving top officials. SCADs in high office are difficult to detect and successfully prosecute because they are usually complex and compartmentalized; investigations are often compromised by conflicts of interests; and powerful norms discourage speculation about corruption in high office. However, liberal democracies can reduce their vulnerability to state political criminality by identifying vulnerabilities proactively and instituting policies for SCAD detection and prevention.

Key Words: State Crimes against Democracy • SCADs • political–economic complexes • checks and balances • elite political criminality

This version was published on September 1, 2009

Administration & Society, Vol. 41, No. 5, 527-550 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/0095399709339014
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