Subtitle: Hate Crimes & State Crimes in the War on Terror
Author: Michael Welch
Subject: Criminology / Current Events
Paper ISBN 0-8135-3896-3
Pages: 224 pp.
Publication Date: November, 2006
Series: Critical Issues in Crime and Society

"This eloquent and thoughtful speaking of truth to power is must reading. Welch does a meticulous job of breaking through a rather terrifying period of national denial and gets real about transforming violence into genuine social safety."-Harold Pepinsky, Professor of Criminal Justice, Indiana University, Bloomington

From its largest cities to deep within its heartland, from its heavily trafficked airways to its meandering country byways, America has become a nation racked by anxiety about terrorism and national security. In response to the fears prompted by the tragedy of September 11th, the country has changed in countless ways. Airline security has tightened, mail service is closely examined, and restrictions on civil liberties are more readily imposed by the government and accepted by a wary public.

The altered American landscape, however, includes more than security measures and ID cards. The country's desperate quest for security is visible in many less obvious, yet more insidious ways. In Scapegoats of September 11th, criminologist Michael Welch argues that the "war on terror" is a political charade that delivers illusory comfort, stokes fear, and produces scapegoats used as emotional relief. Regrettably, much of the outrage that resulted from 9/11 has been targeted at those not involved in the attacks on the Pentagon or the Twin Towers. As this book explains, those people have become the scapegoats of September 11th. Welch takes on the uneasy task of sorting out the various manifestations of displaced aggression, most notably the hate crimes and state crimes that have become embarrassing hallmarks both at home and abroad.

Drawing on topics such as ethnic profiling, the Abu Ghraib scandal, Guantanamo Bay, and the controversial Patriot Act, Welch looks at the significance of knowledge, language, and emotion in a post-9/11 world. In the face of popular and political cheerleading in the war on terror, this book presents a careful and sober assessment, reminding us that sound counterterrorism policies must rise above, rather than participate in, the propagation of bigotry and victimization.

Michael Welch is a professor of criminal justice at Rutgers University. He is the author of numerous books including Ironies of Imprisonment and Detained: Immigration Laws and the Expanding INS Jail Complex.