The subject of this study is the emergence of the white supremacist movement as a critical criminal justice concern. White supremacists have strengthened their political agenda partly because their recent upswing in criminality is providing the necessary funds. This chapter identifies the boundaries of the problem, narrows the scope of this work, discusses the methodology and organization of this study, and provides definitions of terms essential for discussing this issue.The last twenty years have brought a resurgence of hate groups and their racially-motivated crimes believed to have been nearly eradicated by the civil rights movement of the 1960's. Ironically, the decade arguably responsible for liberating discrimination sparked the birth of a new right movement that has been growing for two decades. Organizations touting white supremacy comprise the extremist segment of the new right. Nestled among the white supremacy ideology are Nazis, fascists, and a newly-reactivated and destructive group, the ultra-fundamentalist Christians. Their choice in using criminal solutions is gaining support among its members and affiliated groups mainly because of perceived gains. This should alarm all sensible citizens and criminal justice organizations should plan to contend with the inevitability of a white supremacist incident.The emerging criminal conduct of white supremacist groups is much more focused on immediate remedies to their perceived problems. White supremacists were often unorganized and clumsy in their criminality, however successful bank and armored car robberies, assassinations, and bombings in the 1980's must remove any doubt about their potential violence.
