State crime Flashcards
What are some examples of state crime ?
The torture and illegal treatment and punishment of citizens
Corruption
Assassination and ‘targeted killing’
War crimes
Genocide
Sponsored terrorism
What 2 reasons make state crimes so serious ?
The scale of state crimes
Because the state is a source of law
What are some required case studys ?
The genocide in Rwanda 1994
Challenger space shuttle disaster in 1986
How does Chambliss (1989) define state crime using domestic law ?
Acts defined by law as criminal and committed by state officials in pursuit of the jobs as representatives of the state
How does Michalowski (1985) define state crime using social harm and zemiology ?
Including not just illegal acts but also ‘legally permissible acts whose consequences are similar to those of illegal acts’
How can state crime be defined through labelling and societal reaction ?
State crime is socially constructed, and so what people regard as state crime can vary over time and between cultures or groups
How does Rothe and Mullins (2008) define state crime using international law ?
Any action by or on behalf of a state that violates international law and/or a state’s own domestic law
How does Herman and Julia Schwendinger (1975) define state crime using human rights ?
A violation of people’s basic human rights by the state or its agents
What are the ways in which Cohen explains the way the state denies or justifies their crimes ?
Denial of victims, injury, responsibility
Condemning the condemners
Appeal to higher loyalty
