State Crime Flashcards
1
Q
What is the definition of state crime?
A
- According to Green and Ward, state crime is defined as illegal or deviant acitivies perpetrated by or complicityly with state agencies
2
Q
What is the definition of state crime based on domestic law?
A
- Chambliss argues that acts defined by law as criminal and are committed by state officials in pursuit of their hobs as representatives of the state
- Ignores that the state define their own actions
eg. MP Expenses Scandal 2009
3
Q
What is the definition of state crime based on social harm and zemiology?
A
- Michalowski argues that state crime includes illegal acts but also legal acts that cause harm. This means that the state is held accountable for their actions
- Hillyard argued that replacing crime with zemiology which should be that it is regardless of whether the act is against the law
- It is subjective as what counts as harm
4
Q
What is the definition of state crime based on international law?
A
- Rothe and Mullins found that state crime is an action by or on behalf of the state which violates international law
- International law is a set of rules that is binding between countries
- It is more objective as it has globally agreed definitions
- However it focusses too much on war rather than others
5
Q
What is the definition of state crime based on human rights?
A
- Human rights are the ability to exist and have free speech, also having the right to vote and privacy
- Schwendinger argues that state crime should be defined as a violation of people’s basoc human rights by the state and agents
6
Q
What are McLaughlin’s four categories of state crime?
A
- Political crimes
- Crimes by security and police forces
- Economic crimes
- Social and cultural crimes
7
Q
What are political crimes?
A
- Political censorship and political corruption
Eg. Bribery, moving money, concealing news, vote rigging - Kramer and Michalowski argue statse imitate crime and facilitate corporate crime
- War crime of illegal wars and crime committed during war
8
Q
What are crimes by security and police?
A
- Genocide, destroy whole groups. Eg. Holocaust
- Torture, inflicting pain for punishment or forcing to say something. Eg. Abu Graib
- Imprisonment without trial, no knowledge of why or how long. Eg. Guantamano Bay
- Political dissent, policies of a governing body. Eg. Russia
9
Q
What are economic crimes?
A
- Where the government knowingly allow health and safety crimes to create profit. Eg. Grenfell Tower
- Economic policies which will lead to harm of citizens
9
Q
What is a social and cultural crime?
A
- Institutional racism (Police targetting)
- Destruction of culture and heritage
9
Q
What are techniques of neutralisation?
A
- Cohen applied Skyes and Matza’s concept of techniques of neutralisation to explain how ststae deny they have committed this by relabelling them as something regrettable but justified
- It is justified by denying it or protecting national security
10
Q
Why is state crime serious?
A
- States are large and powerful entities and can cause large, powerful and widespread damage
- The state has the power to conceal their crimes making it harder to detect, intervene and to change law to benefit them
11
Q
What is the integrated theory?
A
- State crime arises from circumstances similiar to street crime
- Green and Ward suggest three factors which are opportunities, motivation of offendors and failure of social control
12
Q
What are crimes of obedience?
A
- State crimes tend to be crimes of obedience rather than deviance
- Kelman and Hamilton identify three features that produce crimes of obidience
1. Authorisation = Acts approved by those higher meaning it is a duty to obey
2. Dehumanisation = Victims are portrayed as sub human so normal morality does not apply
3. Routinisation = Turn the act into routine behaviour so perform in detatched manner
13
Q
What is modernity?
A
- Bauman argue that there are features of a modern society which makes the state crime possible
1. A division of labour where no one is held fully resposible
2. Bureaucratisation by normalising the act by making it repetitive and routine. This leads to dehumanisation of the victm
3. Instrumental Rationality. This is efficient methods to achieve a goal regardless of the goal itself
4. Science and technology to justify the means and the motive
14
Q
What is a culture of denial?
A
- States have had to become better at hiding and justifying their crimes
- Cohen argues the spiral of state denial which is suggesting that it didnt happen or if it did its justified
- Matza and Sykes argue the neutralisation theory which is justification of the act through denial of victims, injury, responsibility, condeming and appealing
15
Q
What does Cohen argue about problems with researching state crime?
A
- Strategies of denial or justification
- Censorship and power
- No official statistics
- Reliant on secondary data
16
Q
What does Tombs and Whyte argue about problems with researching state crime?
A
- States use their power to prevent sociologists doing research and will face resistance
17
Q
What does Greene and Ward argue about problems with researching state crime?
A
- Research can be extremely difficult and dangerous
