State Crime

Question 1

McLaughlin identifies four types of state crime

Answer 1

1. Crimes committed by state security and police forces - war crimes such as illegal invasions and ethnic cleansing (e.g Rwanda genocide 1994) , torture and the use of illegal chemical or biological weapons
2. Political crimes - imprisonment and execution of political opponents without trial
3. Economic crimes - theft of public funds by political elites, corruption and bribery of state officials
4. Social and cultural crimes- failing to protect human rights

Question 2

Schwendinger

Answer 2

Takes a transgressive approach and argues that definitions of state crimes should include any violation of human rights, including suppression of free speech, institutional forms of sexism, racism, homophobia, economic exploitation and enforced poverty

Question 3

R J Rommel

Answer 3

Claimed that governments have murdered six times more people than have died in combat in all 20th century wars : over 11.5 million Jews, soviet prisoners of wars, polish, Serbians, gypsies and institutionalised disabled people were systematically exterminated by the Nazis during the holocaust

Question 4

Kelman and Hamilton

Answer 4

Those who commit state crimes are conforming to the norms of a higher authority so the morality of the act becomes less important than the need to follow orders + the offender is socialised into propaganda into viewing victims as creatures whom the normal rules don’t apply to