CRIMINALIZING CHINA.

The Department of Justice launched the China Initiative in November 2018 to counter national security threats emanating from the People's Republic of China (PRC). By June 2020, the Federal Bureau of Investigation had approximately two thousand active investigations under the Initiative. People and e...

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Published in:Journal of Criminal Law & Criminology Vol. 111; no. 1; pp. 145 - 226
Main Author: LEWIS, MARGARET K.
Format: Article
Published: Northwestern University Spring2021
Subjects:
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
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        atl: CRIMINALIZING CHINA.
      aug:
        au: LEWIS, MARGARET K.
        affil: Professor of Law, Seton Hall University
      su:
        United States
        United States. Dept. of Justice
        United States. Federal Bureau of Investigation
        National security
        Criminal justice system
        China-United States relations
      sug:
        subj:
          National security
          Criminal justice system
          United States
          United States. Dept. of Justice
          United States. Federal Bureau of Investigation
          Other Justice, Public Order, and Safety Activities
          National Security
          Police Protection
          China-United States relations
      ab: The Department of Justice launched the China Initiative in November 2018 to counter national security threats emanating from the People's Republic of China (PRC). By June 2020, the Federal Bureau of Investigation had approximately two thousand active investigations under the Initiative. People and entities with connections to the PRC's governing party-state structure have engaged in trade secret theft and other crimes under U.S. law. The Department of Justice is not making up a threat. It is, however, framing that threat in a problematic way. This Article argues that using "China" as the glue connecting cases prosecuted under the Initiative's umbrella creates an overinclusive conception of the threat and attaches a criminal taint to entities that possess "China-ness," based on PRC nationality, PRC national origin, Chinese ethnicity, or other expressions of connections with "China." The Article further contends that, when assessed in light of the goals of deterrence, incapacitation, rehabilitation, and retribution, it is worrisome that the prosecution and punishment of people and entities rests in part on a connection with "China." A better path is to discard the "China Initiative" framing, focus on cases' individual characteristics, and enhance the Department of Justice's interactions with nongovernmental experts.
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      doctype: Article
      src: R
    language: English
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