Vigilante

Lore & Background

Vigilantism is the act of taking the law into one’s own hands, defined by political scientist Regina Bateson as “the extralegal prevention, investigation, or punishment of offenses.” This definition has three components: it is extralegal (done outside the law, though not necessarily in violation of it); it requires specific actions, not just attitudes; and it is a response to a perceived crime or violation of an authoritative norm. Other scholars describe “collective vigilantism” as group violence to punish perceived offenses to a community. Les Johnston argues that vigilantism has six necessary components: it is planned or premeditated; carried out by private volunteers; a social movement; involves or threatens the use of force; occurs when established societal norms are perceived as threatened; and its primary goal is to enforce safety and security, especially for its participants, by combating crime. Historically, the term is borrowed from Spanish, meaning “wide-awake” or “watcher.” Secret societies like the medieval Vehm courts in Germany and the Sicilian Beati Paoli acted as early vigilante organizations. In the 1920s, China’s Big Sword Society protected life and property in anarchy. In the United States, groups such as the American Protective League and the Secret Six—the latter launched by the Chicago Association of Commerce in 1930—investigated kidnappings and robberies, helping launch Eliot Ness and his Untouchables. In Mexico, the Grupos de autodefensa comunitaria formed in Michoacán in 2013 to combat criminal groups. Other notable acts include Marianne Bachmeier shooting her daughter’s murderer in a German courtroom in 1981, and Gary Plauché killing his son’s alleged abuser in 1984.

Reader's Guide

Vigilantism has appeared across many cultures and time periods, from medieval secret societies like the courts of the Vehm in Westphalian Germany to modern groups such as the Grupos de autodefensa comunitaria in Michoacan, Mexico, formed in 2013 to combat criminal groups like Los Zetas and La Familia Michoacana. Vigilante organizations have also emerged in Finland (Suojeluskunta), the United States (American Protective League, Secret Six), El Salvador (Sombra Negra), South Africa (People Against Gangsterism and Drugs), and Nigeria (Bakassi Boys). The phenomenon raises questions about the boundaries between acceptable citizen action and extralegal punishment, as it often arises when established societal norms are perceived to be threatened and official law enforcement is seen as inadequate.

Did You Know?

• The term vigilante is borrowed from Spanish, meaning 'wide-awake' or 'watcher', from Latin vigilāns.
• Political scientist Regina Bateson defines vigilantism as 'the extralegal prevention, investigation, or punishment of offenses.'