Vigilantism

"Vigilante" redirects here. For other uses, see Vigilante (disambiguation).
Not to be confused with lynching.
The "Bald Knobbers", an 1880s vigilante group from Missouri – as portrayed in the 1919 film The Shepherd of the Hills

Vigilantism (/vɪdʒɪˈlæntɪzəm/) is the act of preventing, investigating, and punishing perceived offenses and crimes without legal authority.[1][2]

A vigilante is a person who practices or partakes in vigilantism, or undertakes public safety and retributive justice without commission.

  1. ^ Bateson, Regina (2020). "The Politics of Vigilantism". Comparative Political Studies. 54 (6): 923–955. doi:10.1177/0010414020957692. ISSN 0010-4140. S2CID 224924776.
  2. ^ Cohen, Dara Kay; Jung, Danielle F.; Weintraub, Michael (2022). "Collective Vigilantism in Global Comparative Perspective". Comparative Politics. 55 (2): 239–261. doi:10.5129/001041523x16630894935073. S2CID 252721449.