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Preferred term

vigilantism  

Definition

  • Vigilantes are those who take enforcement of the law or moral code into their own hands. The term developed in ancient Rome, and today it applies to citizens carrying out frontier justice when they perceive established authorities as weak, corrupt, and/or insufficient. [Source: Encyclopedia of Social Problems; Vigilantism]

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URI

https://concepts.sagepub.com/social-science/concept/vigilantism

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