War Crimes Analysis in Criminal Justice: Hostage Situation

This assignment delves into the realm of criminal justice, specifically examining war crimes. It analyzes two key scenarios: the holding of hostages and the murder of a police officer, referencing a specific book and the relevant United States Code (USC). The assignment highlights how these actions constitute war crimes under USC Title 18, particularly focusing on sections related to hostage-taking and murder. The analysis emphasizes the legal implications of these actions, including potential punishments. The assignment also provides a detailed overview of the legal framework surrounding war crimes and the consequences for individuals involved, with references to the relevant sections of the US Code and scholarly sources.

Running head: CRIMINAL JUSTICE
CRIMINAL JUSTICE
Name of Student
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Author Note

1CRIMINAL JUSTICE
The devil's garden: A war crimes investigator's story
One of the crimes that can be observed in the chapters 3 is holding hostages the
innocent citizens of the city of Sarajevo. The crime that can be observed in chapter 4 is the
murder of a police officer (Cencich, 2013). The provisions related to the war crimes are laid
down in the United States Code. Under 18 U.S. Code § 2441 War crime has been described as
a breach in the international conventions or any protocol thereof. The breaches include
conducts such as torture, performing experiments of biology, treats cruelly or in an inhumane
way, maim or mutilate, murder, injure, sexually abuses, rapes, or take hostages to one or
more individuals under their control or custody (Frowe, 2015). Both the crimes that have
been discussed in the book can be considered as war crimes in the United States. 18 U.S.
Code § 1203 provides for the crime of holding hostages. As per this section, taking one or
more people as hostage is considered to be a criminal offence. In pursuant to this section if
any person from a member country of the United Nations is kept as a hostage that country has
the right of starting a war (Loertscher & Milton, 2018). 18 U.S. Code § 1111 defines murder
as killing a human being in an unlawful way with a malicious thought (Coyle, 2015).
Individuals who commit the murder of a police officer is considered to be committing murder
in first degree and is punishable either by death or life imprisonment.

2CRIMINAL JUSTICE
Reference
Cencich, J. R. (2013). The Devil's Garden: A War Crimes Investigator's Story. Potomac
Books, Inc..
Coyle, J. F. (2015). The Case for Writing International Law into the US Code. BCL Rev., 56,
433.
Frowe, H. (2015). The ethics of war and peace: an introduction. Routledge.
Loertscher, S., & Milton, D. (2018). Prisoners and politics: Western hostage taking by
militant groups. Democracy and Security, 14(1), 1-23.
United States Code