A Criminological Study of the Meseritz-Obrawalde Nurses During the Second Euthanasia Phase

Abstract

The euthanasia programme was established by the Nazi government in 1939 and lasted until the end of the Second World War in 1945. The programme took form as either killing centres or psychiatric institutions, situated all over Nazi Germany and its occupied territories. Nurses played an important role in the euthanasia programme as they intentionally and systematically took part in killing between 200,000 and 250,000 physically and mentally handicapped patients (Jewishvirtuallibrary.org,1998). The killing of the so-called “unfit” was reasoned as scientifically based, partly explaining why some nurses rationalised their action as necessary and even morally good. In the aftermath of the war, only a few nurses were charged with crimes against humanity. The majority were free of charges and able to continue their careers as nurses. This article aims contribute to increased knowledge about a group of perpetrators in the Holocaust literature that is understudied in the Holocaust literature and ignored by criminological studies.