crime and deviance topic 8 - globalisation, human rights, green crime and state crime Flashcards
(32 cards)
how do Held et al define globalisation
the widening, deepening and speeding up of world wide interconnectedness in all aspects of life from the cultural to the criminal, the financial to the spiritual
factors which have caused globalisation
- rapid spread of ICT
- global mass media
- deregulation of financial markets
- cheap air travel
explain the globalisation of crime
the same processes which have enabled the globalisation of legitimate activities have also facilitated the transnational organised crime globally
what does Castells argue
as a result of globalisation, the global criminal economy is worth over £1 trillion per annum
examples of the activity in the global criminal economy
- smuggling of illegal immigrants: the Chinese Triads make an estimated £2.5 billion annually
- trafficking of body parts: for organ transplants in developed countries. For example around 2000 organs are taken annually from condemned or executed criminals in China
- international terrorism: spreading ideology through the internet to induce terror
how do the forces of demand drive the global criminal economy
- the rich West demand the goods and services provided by transnational organised crime
how do the forces of supply influence the scale of transnational organised crime
- for emerging or developing countries, working in these industries are an attractive option as they require little initial investment in tech and command higher prices compared to traditional crops for e.g.
Colombia…
- around 20% of the population are dependent on cocaine production for their livelihood
- cocaine outsells all exports
what is global risk consciousness
Beck coins the term to describe how globalisation has increased causes for concern amongst people as thehy no longer see risk as tied to one particular area, but is now globally linked. this is especially due to the media coverage of incidents at a heightended scale, causing moral panics to arise e.g. the media portrays migrants in a negative light, causing individuals to believe migration is a bad thing = violence against migrants etc
- gloval risk consciousness now means governments impose more regulations in terms of migration for example such as border controls
what is another result of globalised risk
the increasing global crimes
- Taylor argues that glob has given way to a new path for crime to emerge as crime no longer stays within one country but is connected globally e.g. MNC’s relocating to areas with lower labour regulations and wages/lower taxes
- moreoever the portrayl of success in the media causes individuals to seek out that lifestyle especially if they face ineqaulity so are more likely to engage in crime: in LA deindustrialisatin has led to the growth of drug gangs
example of global crime amongst the elite
large scale white collar crime is occuring due to globalisation e.g. deregulation of financial markets and 24 hour transactions has created wider opportunities such as insider trading, money laundering and tax evasion
evaluate Taylor’s view of globalisation causing crime
does not explain how globalitsation causes people to engage in crime as not all people turn to crime
an example of crimes of globalisation (IMF and World Bank)
Rothe and Friedrichs examine the role of large institutions such as IMF and World Bank in their role of encouraging ‘crimes of globalisation’
- as most member countries are capitalist, the economic policies imposed on less developed, poorer countries are pro-capitalist. if governments cannot afford to meet such standards, they must cut public spending which causes further poverty and ineqaulity and lowered standards of living
- such enables MNC’s to develop in such countries leading to further crime opportunities
what has happened to criminal organisations due to globalsiation
- Hobbs and Dunningham note that where there were large scale, hierarchal organisations, they now act as hubs where legitimate and illegitimate activity coincides
- this leads to ‘glocal’ orgnaisations where the crime is relatively rooted in local communities but works with global connections
criticse hobbs and dunningham
though there have been changes to criminal gorups and their structures due to glbolaisation, it is not to say hierarchal structures do not still exists within glocal organisations
McMafia as an example of how criminal organisationshave been inlfunced by glboailsation
- following the fall of communism in the Soviet Union, the Russian government deregulated prices of many goods except commodities which remained at their relatively low prices (compared to world (prices only 1/40 th) which enabled those with funds such as the KGB or former communist officials to buy commodieities such as oil and gas and sold them abroad making astronomical profits
- in order to maintain their wealth, they joined forced with crinimal organisations eventually forming hte McMafia
- this is different to old Italian mafias which were based on ethinicity or family ties, this was simply for economic profit
define green crime
crimes against the environemnt
- this has been exacerbated due to globalisation as the pollution released in one country can ebcome acid rain in another
global risk society and the environemnt
- in today’s late modern society, mass production to meed global eneds and wants has caused more manufactured risks rather than natural risks such has harms to the envrionment leading to global warming
Bhopal disaster as an example of green crime and globalisaiton
- in 1984 as US owned pesticide plant in Bhopal started leaking releasing large amounts of cyanide gas due to failure to maintain the plant was no longer in active use
- 30 tons of gas spread across the ciry leading to 20,000 deaths which the company denied and underplayed to 3800
- traditional criminology focuses on the breaches of safety laws but green criminology focuses on how Western corporations can benefit from emerging economies with less regulation
trad criminology vs green criminology
- focuses on the law and regulation behind any events so invvestigates patterns of law breaking
- green focuses on the harm to the physical envrionment and its habitants and is known as zemiology. as it widens the boundaries for what is considered as green crime, it also investigates more harmful crimes which are not illegal. it is more useful as diff ocuntries have diff laws and regulations
two views of harm
- White notes that nations and TNC’s hold an anthropocentirc view whcih assumes that humans have a right to dominate nature
- ecocentric view sees humans and the environment as interdeoendednt which is the view green criminologists adopt
primary green crimes
- crimes of air pollution: burning fossil fuels increases carbon emissions by 6bn tonnes each year
- deforestation: destrcution of tropical rainforests and the use of pesticide sprays destroy natural habitats and food crops
- crimes of species decline: 50 species a day are becoming extinct
secondary green crimes
arise due to the lack of rigid regulation:
-state violence against oppositional groups where the state prioritises its commitment to nuclear weapons, it views anyone agaisnt this commitment enemies of the state such as the blowing up of the Greenpeace ship by the French secret service
- hazardous waste such as the disposal of toxic waste from chemical and nuclear industries is increaseing due to the higher costs of doing so legally - Walters notes how the ocean has been radioactive dumping ground for yeats
- environemental discrimination: South describes it