state crime

Question 1

Green and Ward (2005)

Answer 1

illegal activities perpetrated by or with the complicity of state agencies. e.g. army, CIA
state crime can include genocide, torture imprisonment, without trial. the power of the state enables it to commit extremelylarge scale crimes with widespeand victimisation evading punishment.
e.g. Polpot government in Cambodia is belived to have killed up to 2 million people (1975-78)

Question 2

Mclaughlin (2001) - examples

Answer 2

• state security and police forces illegal invasions, genocide, ethnic clensing
• political crime - imprisonment or execution of political oppositions without trial, censorship of media, unauthorised surveilance of citizens
• economic crimes - theft of public funds by political elites, corruption and bribery of state officials by global organisations
• social and cultural crimes - failing to protect human rights e,g, institutional racism and sexism

Question 3

Scwendinger (1975)

Answer 3

definitions of state crime should include any violation of human rights e,g, suppression of free speech, enforced poverty, racism

Question 4

Cohen (2001)

Answer 4

there is not enough agreement between what is a ‘human right’ e.g. most people agree freedom should be a human right but not everyone agrees freedom from poverty is a right

Question 5

Kelman and Hamilton (1989) - crimes of obedience

Answer 5

• Authotisation: morality of the act becomes less important than the need to follow orders
  -Dehumanisation: the offender is socilised by propaganda into viewing victims as creatures who the normal rules dont apply to e.g. Jews in Nazi germany
• Routinism - execution teams are encouraged to see their activities as routine jobs neccesary to protect heir country and loves ones