Globalisation & crime

Question 1

‘Glocal organisations’ - Hobbs & Dunningham

Answer 1

E - They argue crime works as a ‘glocal’ system meaning it is still locally based with global connections.
E - This means that the form it takes, varies from place to place according to local conditions, even if it is influenced by global factors, such as the availability of drugs from abroad.
This had led to changing patterns oc crime egg, the shift from old rigidly, hierarchical, gang structure, Toulouse networks of flexible opportunity stick, entrepreneurial criminals.
E - However, not all places will have great success with global connections so this cannot be generalised to everyone.

Question 2

Globalisation & gangs - Glenny (2008)

Answer 2

E - Glenny argues the recent increase of Eastern European gangs on illustrator example of the social, cultural and political changes since the fall of communism in 1998. - calls this McMafia.
E - This means that the collapse of the communist state caused a period of increase in disorder. In order to protect their wealthy capitalists, they turned to the ‘mafias’ that had begun to spring up, which were often ex-convicts.
E - However, organizations do not always achieve in protecting billionaires.

Question 3

Capitalism & crime - Taylor (1997)

Answer 3

E - Taylor argues that globalisation has created greater inequality and a rise in crime. It had allowed transnational corporations to switch manufacturing to low-wage countries, producing job insecurity, unemployment and poverty.
E - This creates insecurity and widening inequalities encourage people, especially the poor, to turn to crime. The lack of job opportunity destroys self respect and drives the unemployed to look for illegitimate means to gain materials. e.g. in LA deindustrialization has led to growth of drugs gangs numbering 10,000 members.
E - However, this doesn’t explain how the changes make people behave in criminal ways.

Question 4

Green crime - South (2020)

Answer 4

E - There are two types of green crime: Primary (crimes that result directly from destruction and degradation of earths resources.’ 4 types - air pollution, deforestation, animal abuse and water pollution.
Secondary (crime that grows out of the flouting of rules and preventing or regulating environmental disasters. 2 types - State violence, Hazardous waste and organised.
EVAL - However, what counts as green crime is subjective so based on personal views, making it difficult to define a boundary of right or wrong.

Question 5

State crime - Green & Ward (2012)

Answer 5

E - Green and Ward argue state crime is one of the most serious forms of crime, due to the scale of harm it causes on the fact it is committed by powerful agents of the state. e.g. Genocide in Rwanda, Nazi Germany.
E - They define state crime as ‘illegal or deviant activities perpetrated by or with the complicity of state agencys’ and argue state is able to commit crimes with legitimacy due to its monopoly of violence and control over law enforcement and justice systems.
E - However, it can vary within a country such as what is illegal in one state may be illegal in another.

Question 6

Human rights - Schwendinger (1975)

Answer 6

E - They argue that we should define state crime as a violation of peoples basic human rights by the state or its agent. He argues that if we accept illegal definition, we become subservient to the states interests.
E - This means that sociologists role should be to defend human rights if necessary against the states law - ‘transgressive criminolgoy.’
E - However, Cohen says whilst most would include life and liberty, some would not include freedom from hunger.