State Crime

Question 1

What are the 4 types of state crime?

Answer 1

1. political crime
2. crimes of violence
3. economic crime
4. social and cultural crime

Question 2

What is political crime?

Answer 2

When a govt abused its position of trust for personal financial gain.

Question 3

What is crimes of violence?

Answer 3

When agents of the state control behaviour through physical force.

Question 4

What is economic crime?

Answer 4

When a govt is compliant in offences which involve businesses. e.g. health and safety law

Question 5

What is social and cultural crime?

Answer 5

Discriminative practices, e.g. institutional racism

Question 6

What are the 4 sociological reasons as to why state crime emerges?

Answer 6

1) integrated theory
2) crimes of obedience model
3) authoritarian personality
4) features of modernity

Question 7

According to Kelman and Hamilton, how does the crimes of obediance model seek to explain why state crime emerges?

Answer 7

State that most crime is committed by people who are under pressure from positions of authority. They note 3 reasons

Question 8

According to Kelman and Hamilton, what are the 3 reasons as to why crimes of obedience mean there is state crime?

Answer 8

1. authorisation = order cannot be challenged. Hitler and Jews
2. routinisation = become detached from the crimes
3. dehumanisation = persuaded to see the enemy as ‘subhuman’

Question 9

Evaluation of the crimes of obedience model which seeks to explain state crime?

Answer 9

Gives them a victim status

Question 10

According to Green and Ward, what is the integrated theory and how does it explain state crime?

Answer 10

State crime is similar to conventional crime in terms of how it arises.

1. needs to be a motive
2. needs to be an opportunity
3. nature of social controls and laws (Holocaust, no formal rules)

Question 11

Evaluation of the integrated theory seeking to explain state crime?

Answer 11

Unclear whether crime is a personal strategy or on a state level

Question 12

According to Adorno, what is the authoritarian model and how does it explain state crime?

Answer 12

Certain types of people have certain personalities which makes them more willing to follow order, which results in human rights abuses. Usually learnt in primary and secondary socialisation. Meant to explain why germans were so effective in extermination of Jews, they were able to follow orders and act like it was ‘normal’

Question 13

Evaluation of the authoritarian personality that seeks to explain state crime?q

Answer 13

People can see logically still

Question 14

According to Bauman, how does the features of modernity seek to explain state crime?

Answer 14

Instead of looking at individuals, should instead look at wider society. Crime is easier in a modern society due to nature of globalisation.

1. division of labour (people get tasked with crime)
2. beauracratic (people are governed by a system of leadership
3. economies are instrumentally rational (people work logically to achieve a goal)
4. science and tech (businesses can operate more smoothly)

Question 15

Evaluation of the features of modernity explanation of state crime?

Answer 15

Assumes state crime is always pre planned and on a large scale

Question 16

What are the 5 definitions of state crime?

Answer 16

1) using domestic law
2) using zemiology
3) using societies reaction
4) using international law
5) using human rights law

Question 17

How can state law be defined by domestic law?

Answer 17

Chambliss believes that any crime committed by the state must break international law, e.g. Partygate

Question 18

How can state crime be defined using zemiology?

Answer 18

Michalowski disagrees with Chambliss, believes that any action which harms individuals must be classed as a crime. Zemiology is the study of harms. Prevents states changing law to suit them

Question 19

How can state crime be defined using socieites reaction?

Answer 19

Should be regarded as a state crime is societies reaction is negative. What counts as a crime is socially constructed, can change over time and across cultures. For e.g. Iraw War 2003.

Question 20

What are the 2 reasons why state crime is so hard to measure?

Answer 20

1) technique neutralisation

2) the culture of denial

Question 21

According to Stan and Cohen, why is state crime so hard to measure due to technique neutralisation?

Answer 21

States have the power to neutralise, or redefine, their actions.There are 4 techniques

1) denial of victim stage (people harmed deserved it)
2) denial of responsibility (statesman will claim they were following orders)
3) condemning the condemners (those who critisice are deemed irrational)
4) appeal to a higher loyalty (any action carried out what to protect population

Question 22

According to Alvarez, why does the culture of denial make measuring state crime difficult?

Answer 22

Adds that another approach is try to act to cover the crime up, and they will deny it ever took place. The stages of this are called the spirit of denial.

1) completely deny the crime was committed
2) details are inacccurate
3) justification