Crime And Deviance 6 - State Crime

Question 1

Green and Ward (2005) state crime definition?

Answer 1

Illegal activities perpetrated by or with the complicity of state agencies
Can include genocide, torture, etc.
States role however is to define what’s criminal (e.g. Nazi Germany laws to sterilise disabled people against their will) so they can often evade punishment
State crime is often reported in third world countries but has appeared in UKs torture in Northern Ireland

Question 2

Schwendingers way of studying state crime?

Answer 2

Define crime in violation of breaking basic human rights not legal rules (e.g Universal Declaration of Human Rights, United Nations)
E.g states that have imperialism, racism and sexism are committing crimes as they go against human rights
Definition of crime is therefore definitely political and sociologists will defend human rights against states

Question 3

Cohen (2001) way of defining state crime?

Answer 3

There isn’t enough agreement about what constitutes human rights
E.g. freedom is a human right but freedom from poverty may not be considered as such
Good example is housing laws USA vs Finland

Question 4

Cohen’s 3 stage ‘spiral of state denial’ in democracies around human rights crimes?

Answer 4

-It did not happen
-if it did happen, its not what it seems (e.g. self defence)
-if it was what you say it is, its justified (e.g. protect national security, etc.)

Question 5

Types of state crime?

Answer 5

McLaughlin (2001)
1. state security and police force e.g. illegal invasions, genocides, ethnic cleansing (Rwanda 1994), torture, civilian massacres (Syria 2016)
2. Political e.g. censorship, imprisonment of political opponents without trial etc.
3. Economic e.g. corruption, bribery, embezzling state funds
4. Social and cultural e.g. failing to protect human rights, tackle sexism or racism etc.

Question 6

Criticism of state crime?

Answer 6

Some may argue the states actions were for the greater good

Question 7

Stats on state crime?

Answer 7

Rummell (1997) governments have murdered 6 times as many people than wars in the 20th century
Nazi’s killed 11.5 million (estimated) Jews, Gypsies, Soviet war prisoners, Poles, Serbs and disabled people in Holocaust
8,373 Muslim Bosniak men and boys were killed by paramilitaries in Sbrencia 1995

Question 8

Reasons for state crime?

Answer 8

Cohen, perpetrators often say they were just ‘following orders’
Kelman and Hamilton (1989) those committing state crime conforming to higher authority norms by
Authorisation - need to follow orders over morality
Dehumanisation - offender is socialised by propaganda to view victims as inhuman so normal morality doesn’t apply e.g Jews in Holocaust
Routinisation - execution teams/torturers are encouraged to see activities as everyday jobs to protect love ones or country

Question 9

Marxist Reasons for state crime?

Answer 9

Secure resources for TNCs (e.g. UK, USA and Iraq)

Question 10

Modernisation theory of state crime?

Answer 10

Only ‘failed’ states commit state crime (e.g. poorer countries where government position just means getting as much money as possible, leading to more fraud and corruption)