Colonial criminology: A survey of what it means and why it is important

Abstract

As the United States is experiencing unprecedented high rates of incarceration, especially of minorities and marginalized communities, racialized punishment has been addressed by many scholars (Alexander 2010;Wacquant 2001; Cole 1999, Tonry 2011Stevenson 2014). Studies have shown the connection between racialized structures of inequality, punishment, and colonization (Agozino 2000, 2003; Irwin and Umemoto 2016; Bosworth and Flavin 2007). However, scholars have recognized a void in the discussion of colonial theory in the field of criminology (Agozino 2003; Cunneen and Tauri 2016; Bosworth and Flavin 2007). In this paper, I identify several ways in which criminology is closely tied to colonialism. I argue that a colonial criminology perspective assists in identifying power distinctions that construct notions of difference, thus providing a more nuanced understanding of crime, violence, and criminalization as a response to oppression and alienation. I focus primarily on colonialism in Hawai'i because of its fairly recent colonization and continuing indigenous struggle for Hawaiian sovereignty. Furthermore, Hawai'i is representative of racial and ethnic inequality and disparity within the United States criminal justice system, as the majority of both the adult and juvenile incarcerated populations in Hawai'i are of Native Hawaiian and/or Pacific Islander decent.

Just data representation for Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders: A critical review of systemic Indigenous erasure in census and recommendations for psychologists

“…Colonialism does not simply engage in dispossession of lands and displacement of Peoples through structural acquisition, but also through ideological formations that legitimize domination through racism and other ideologies about power (Bosworth & Flavin, 2007; King, 2017; Said, 1993). Using violence—the tool used in colonizing practices—colonizers remove Indigenous Peoples from their lands through systemic racism and incarceration (King, 2017; Veracini, 2010).…”

“…Colonialism does not simply engage in dispossession of lands and displacement of Peoples through structural acquisition, but also through ideological formations that legitimize domination through racism and other ideologies about power (Bosworth & Flavin, 2007; King, 2017; Said, 1993). Using violence—the tool used in colonizing practices—colonizers remove Indigenous Peoples from their lands through systemic racism and incarceration (King, 2017; Veracini, 2010). In fact, Hawai'i alone has one of the highest imprisonment rates even when compared to other countries , with an incarceration rate of 487 per 100,000 population, compared to Canada (114 per 100,000) the United Kingdom (139 per 100,000) and the United States with the highest (698 per 100,000; Prison Policy Initiative, 2018).…”

Are Non-U.S. Citizens Color-Blind? The Racialization of Violent Crimes

“…Historical circumstances in the United States likely shape how people who belonged to different races and ethnicities perceive and judge each other (Gabbidon, 2010, 2015; Sulton, 1994; Tatum, 2000). American colonialism was a period defined by physical and psychological aggression and violence against minority racial and ethnic groups (see Delsol, 2015; Gabbidon, 2010; King, 2017; Sulton, 1994; Tatum, 2000). This history has widespread implications for modern criminal justice.…”

Critical Criminology and Race: Re‐examining the Whiteness of US Criminological Thought

“…Though the present article focuses on US phenomena, there is a wealth of critical European scholarship on race within policing (Parmar 2019; Sharp and Atherton 2007), courts (Davis and Vennard 2006), and correctional systems (Cheliotis and Liebling 2006). Global North and Southern criminologies have also engaged in increased dialogue to improve CCJ inquiry and address both colonial and nationalistic biases (see Carrington, Hogg and Sozzo 2016; Fitzpatrick 1989; King 2017; León 2021). Taken together, these works collectively speak to the relationship between power, epistemology, human geography, and the ‘racial politics of criminological knowledge’ (Brunsma and Padilla Wyse 2019; Henne and Shah 2015, p.106; Zevallos 2019).…”