Linchamientos en Chile. Una aproximación a su comprensión a partir de la descripción de las relaciones entre derecho y violencia que emergen de relatos de prensa del año 2012

Abstract

This paper analyzes a new phenomenon in Chile, lynchings. This article defines lynchings as “collec-tive punitive actions which may be anonymous, spontaneous or organized, with different levels of ritualization, chasing physical violence on individuals who presumably have broken a formal or virtual rule (rule elaborated by the community), and are considerably outnumbered” (Fuentes, 2005: 8). This paper analyzes the information about lynchings in newspapers, and explores the meaning of these actions for the legal system. The relevance of this analysis is the objective of the lynchings which is the punishment for breaking a rule, objective that each State establishes as the objective of the legal system.