Superpredator

Common card · No. 495130

The superpredator or super-predator is a type of criminal in a now-discredited criminological theory that became popular in the 1990s in the United States, positing that a small but increasing population of impulsive (often urban) young men were willing to commit extremely violent crimes without remorse. Criminologist and political scientist John J. DiIulio Jr. theorized that superpredators were a growing phenomenon and predicted a large increase in youth crime and violence as a result. At the time, the idea of superpredators contributed to a nationwide moral panic regarding juvenile crime, particularly Black juvenile crime. Proponents of the theory warned of "a blood bath of violence" or "Lord of the Flies on a massive scale". American lawmakers seized on this idea, and implemented tough-on-crime legislation for juvenile offenders across the country, including life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. The theory would later face criticism, which led to its supporters getting...

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