Force, Inc.: The Privatization of Punishment, Policing, and Military Force in Liberal States

154 Pages Posted: 14 Jul 2009

See all articles by Clifford Rosky

Clifford Rosky

University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law

Date Written: May 11, 2009

Abstract

Should our punishment, policing, and military institutions be public, private, or both? Is there a special link between the project of government and the exercise of force? These two questions have vexed philosophers for several centuries, and lately, they have begun to present more practical problems as well. In the past three decades, private punishment, policing, and military markets have blossomed and boomed in liberal states. Private prisons, police, and armies have been popping up around the world, punishing criminals, fighting crimes, keeping peace, and waging war. The use of force has generated unprecedented profits, and the boundaries between public and private uses of force have become increasingly blurred. Observers of these trends expect them to continue and accelerate. This Article brings these three trends together under one rubric: the privatization of force. By bringing together fundamental categories of economic and political analysis, it develops a theory of the relationship between government and force in liberal states.

Suggested Citation

Rosky, Clifford, Force, Inc.: The Privatization of Punishment, Policing, and Military Force in Liberal States (May 11, 2009). Connecticut Law Review, Vol. 36, p. 879, 2004, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1402522 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1402522

Clifford Rosky (Contact Author)

University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law ( email )

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United States
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