State crime most serious form of crime Flashcards
P1: How do *** (2005) define state crime?
State crimes are illegal or deviant activities perpetrated by, or with the complicity of, state agencies, including genocide, war crimes, torture, and corruption.
Why are state crimes particularly serious?
They are committed by those in power who are meant to protect citizens, often resulting in large-scale harm with impunity due to the state’s ability to define what is legal.
What is an example of a state crime?
The Rwandan genocide (1994), where the government incited ethnic violence, and human rights abuses in Guantanamo Bay.
How do state crimes differ from street crimes?
State crimes can devastate entire populations, causing mass suffering, death, displacement, and long-term trauma, unlike street crimes, which affect individuals or small groups.
What is a limitation of focusing solely on state crimes?
Corporate crimes (e.g., environmental destruction) can also harm millions, and state crimes often go unpunished due to the state’s control over legal frameworks.
P2: What is the Marxist view on state crime?
Marxists argue that state crime is a tool of capitalism, where the ruling class uses state institutions to maintain control and suppress opposition.
What is an example of a state crime serving elite interests?
The Iraq War (2003), justified by false claims about weapons of mass destruction, benefited Western economic interests while causing thousands of deaths.
How does *** explain state crime?
Laws and state power protect ruling-class interests, allowing governments to commit crimes while labelling working-class crimes as more serious.
How do state crimes reinforce structural inequality?
They serve elite interests, often justified through nationalist or economic reasoning, unlike conventional crimes, which are individualised.
What is a counter-argument to the Marxist view?
Functionalists argue that not all state actions are criminal—some are necessary for maintaining order, and democratic societies may limit state crimes through checks and balances.
P3: What is ***argument about state crime?
States use ‘techniques of neutralisation’ to deny or justify their crimes, making state crimes more dangerous due to their ability to manipulate public perception.
How do governments justify state crimes?
Through rhetoric like “national security,” “self-defence,” or “fighting terrorism,” preventing public outrage and accountability.
What is an example of neutralisation in state crime?
The US government’s use of “enhanced interrogation techniques” (e.g., waterboarding) during the War on Terror, justified as necessary for national security.
Why are state crimes uniquely harmful?
They are often invisible or normalised, unlike street crimes, which are clearly defined and punished, making it difficult for victims to seek justice.
How can state crimes be challenged?
Global human rights organisations (e.g., Amnesty International) and international courts (e.g., the ICC) play a role in exposing and punishing state crimes.
P4: How do corporate crimes compare to state crimes?
Corporate crimes, such as environmental destruction or financial fraud, can also impact millions, but they often operate within legal loopholes.
What is an example of a corporate crime?
The Bhopal Disaster (1984) in India, where corporate negligence killed thousands, and the Volkswagen emissions scandal (2015), which caused environmental damage.
How does organised crime compare to state crime?
Organised crime (e.g., human trafficking) causes immense human suffering, but it lacks the state’s level of power, control, and capacity for violence.
Why are state crimes more serious than corporate or organised crimes?
State crimes involve direct abuses of power, are backed by state authority, and are harder to challenge due to their scale and ability to evade accountability.
What is the overall view on state crimes?
While other crimes have severe consequences, state crimes remain the most serious due to their scale, state backing, and ability to manipulate legal and public perceptions.
