Why is state crime so serious and what is it?

Question 1

Why does the scale of state crime make it so serious?

Answer 1

the power of the state means it can commit large scale crime with large scale victimisation (e.g. genocide/war crimes)

Question 2

What does Weber say about the scale of state crime?

Answer 2

the state has the monopoly on the legitimate use of violence
MEANING
-potential to inflict massive harm
-can evade punishment or HIDE crime
e.g. UK and USA military torture in Iraq

Question 3

What do Michalowski and Kramer argue about state crime and what do we need to study?

Answer 3

‘great power and great crimes are inseparable’
study ways that economic and political elites can bring death and disease etc with ONE DECISION

Question 4

How can you evaluate the arguments made by both Weber and Michalowski and Kramer about the scale of state crime?

Answer 4

Support:
Marxism- ‘Crimes of the Suites’ and peoples ability to get away with it

Question 5

What undermines the fact that the state is the source of law?

Answer 5

State crime

Question 6

If the state is the source of law what does it do?

Answer 6

Defines what is criminal and manages the criminal justice system (CJS)

Question 7

How can the states power help it get away with state crime?

Answer 7

It can avoid its own actions as criminal
e.g. Nazi Germany created sterilisation laws against disabled people

It can also persecute its enemies

Question 8

What makes it difficult for the UN to intervene when state crime happens?

Answer 8

the principle of national sovereignty
(the state has supreme power within its own borders)

Question 9

What are the two things that make state crime so serious?

Answer 9

The Scale of State Crime

The State is the source of Law

Question 10

What are McLaughlin’s four types of state crime?

Answer 10

-Political Crimes (corruption, censorship)
e.g. China censorship

-Crimes by security and police forces (genocide, torture)
e.g. My Lai Massacre

-Economic Crimes (official violations of health and safety laws)

-Social and Cultural Crimes (institutional racism)
e.g. the racial bias of the US death penalty

Question 11

How do Green and Ward define state crime?

Answer 11

Illegal or deviant activities perpetrated by or done with the complicity of state agencies