CGJ Student Staff Update from Graduating 3L Shannon Fields

This semester I had the privilege of writing a memo for the International Justice Mission.

In August 2017, the police began murdering and raping civilians in a certain nation after a presidential election. Hundreds of citizens were harmed during the violence without any charges ever being brought.

One of the reasons why no one has been charged is because the victims have not been able to identify the individual officers. However, the victims know for certain that the perpetrators were police officers. To remedy this issue, IJM is looking into the legal doctrine of “command responsibility.”

This doctrine holds those in authority, like police commanders, responsible for the control over and actions of their subordinates. Thus, the doctrine goes after the superiors rather than the subordinates, making the issue of individual identification irrelevant. If each element of the doctrine can be met, then a case could move forward with criminal charges against the police commanders for refusing to control their police force.

This has by far been the most difficult project I have had throughout my time at the Center, but it has also been the most rewarding. I am truly honored to have been a part of such an amazing organization for the past two and a half years.

My law school experience would certainly not have been the same without the Center for Global Justice.

This post was written by a Center for Global Justice student staff member.  The views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect those of Regent University, Regent Law School, or the Center for Global Justice.