State Crime

Question 1

what is a state crime

Answer 1

illegal or deviant activity perpetrated or with state agencies
usually committed on behalf of gov to further policies

Question 2

4 categories of state crime

Answer 2

McLaughlin

1. political crime
2. crime by security, police, suppress oppression
3. economic culture, money/working conditions
4. social+cultural, racism, sexism and prejudice

Question 3

3 categories of state crime

Answer 3

Ross

1. crimes in and between countries
2. direct/indirect actions of state
3. commission and omission

Question 4

Two types of human rights

Answer 4

natural rights–> what people have just by being alive, e.g right to life, speech
human rights–> rights from state, vote, privacy, housing and education

Question 5

Techniques of neutralisation

Answer 5

Cohen
He shows how the government use the same techniques as people to explain their actions

1. denial of victim, they are ‘terroist’
2. denial of injury
3. denial of responsibility, following orders
4. condemning the condemners
5. appealing to a higher loyalty

Question 6

Kelman and Hamiliton 1989

Answer 6

features that produce crimes of obedience

authorisation- acts approved by those above
routinisation-crime becomes routine
dehumanisation-‘enemy of state’ not treated as a human

Question 7

Crimes of obedience

Answer 7

Cohen 
argues people will go along with human right abuse f it helps with neutralism 
1. authorisation of state
2.routinisation of the abuse 
3. dehumanisation of people/enemy

Question 8

example

Answer 8

genocide 
war crimes 
imprisonment without trial
torture 
assassination

Question 9

AO3

Answer 9

func- inevitable, if a group is seen as threat to cnsesnsu or cohesion, long term solution
Marx- get rid of any threat to capitalism bourgeoisie in control
Labelling- certain groups labelled as threat to society

Question 10

Green and Ward

Answer 10

explanation of state crime and human rights abuse

• integrated theory, motive, opportunity, falter to stop
• obedience approach, Cohen, milligrams study ‘electric shock’
• clientism, corrupt gov grant favours in return for political and financial support