Structural Violence

The passage from Roberts cited above encompasses within an ‘expanded definition of violence’ a broad range of harmful actions which may be either intended or unintended, and can be perpetrated through either direct or indirect means, by individuals or institutions. Structural violence is characterized primarily by the absence of visible actors and is associated with forms of violence that are largely unintended. In this chapter we identify many aspects of border control as examples of structural violence. It might be objected immediately that the harms inflicted by borders are far from unintended. Deterrence-based policies rely on the threat of harm to deter others; and while inflicting harm on those who are not deterred is evidence of policy failure, some measure of pain is fully anticipated in return for the expected compliance of the majority. These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

Criminology · Deterrence (psychology) · Deterrence theory · Harm · Political science · Unintended consequences · Law · Political Conflict and Governance · Psychology

• A safe haven? Women's experiences of violence in Australian immigration detention

  Open Access•Lorena Rivas•Punishment & Society•2023

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