ABSTRACT
Despite a decades-long focus on the intersection between social power and crime, to date critical criminologists have yet to focus much attention on some of the most serious crimes and atrocities which emerge from the imbalance of social power within societies. Genocides, war crimes, and crimes against humanity—fundamental violations of international humanitarian law—tend to have all of the core characteristics which would attract critical criminological attention. They are often organized and carried out by social institutions wielding immense power (e.g., states, militaries, etc.), they are often directed along ethnic or socio-economic class lines and are often driven by some of the rawest forms of destructive ideologies which arise in human societies. Yet, they are all but ignored in the field.
