Globalisation,green crime, human rights and state crime Flashcards
(27 cards)
What is the global criminal economy?
Held- argues that there has been a ‘globalisation of crime’ in which the increased interconnectedness has allowed for new opportunites and new forms of crime
Castells argues the global criminal economy is worth over 1 trillion a year
What types of crimes are thriving under globalisation?
Trafficking of arms and nuclear materials
-Smuggling of illegal immigrants accross borders
-Trafficking of women and children
-Sex tourism
Cyber crimes
-Green crimes
-Drugs trades
What keeps the global criminal economy functioning?
Increased demand from the west and supply from the east who see criminal activities as more attractive than legitmiate means as it produces more profit
e.g impoverished prople in Columbia may join drug trade and produce cocaine in order to survive
What is global risk consciousness and give an example?
An effect of globalisation in which risk is no longer tied to one specific place>produces more insecurity
e.g increased migrations have fuelled anxietys in the west that is perpetated by the media about theis supposed ‘threat’ e.g terrorism
-Led to tighter border control
According to Taylor, what is the link between globalisation,capitalism and crime
-Globalisation has led to crime at both ends of social heirarchy
-TNC move manufacturing to low-wage countries> job insecurity, unemployment and poverty>poor turn to crime due to increased insecurity e.g joining drug trade
-deregulation of financial markets has also allowed for crimes such as insider trading and movement of funds to avoid taxation
-New employement patterns e.g recruiting ‘flexible workers’ that are often working illegally, that can be paid less than minimum wage
How can Taylors theory be criticised?
-Not all poor people turn to crime
-too economically deterministic, not all individuals commit crime due to lack of economic capital
What are crimes of globalisation and give an example?
Rothe and FRiedrichs argue that international financial organisations e.g IMF impose pro-capitalist legislation to developimg countries that require them to cut public spending in order to recieve loans> mass unemployement and can lead to crime
-Rwanda; mass unemployement and this led the basis for the 1994 genocide
-IMF operates as a ‘global state’ creating economic conditions for state crimes
How has globalisation affected patterns of criminal organisation?
1)Hobbs and Dunnigham- ‘Glocal’ organisation in which crime no longer occurs in mafia style e.g Kray twins but now as loose knit hubs of flexible, opportunistic criminals with international links
-Still within its local context but with global connections
2) Mcmafia- deregulation of russian economy meant that the wealthy could buy oil,gas at cheap prices and sell them on global scale>needed protection so hired mafia> however this different from previous mafia as it was based purely on economic needs and self intrest not family ties>they were also able to expland their services to other parts of the world for protection
What are green crimes?
Refers to crimes/harms done to the environment
What is meant by global risk society?
Beck argues that in todays late modern society many of the environmental risks are manmade e.g pollution,melting of ice caps, global warming
-This is due to the massive increase in demand of technology and productivity
e.g global warming> heatwave in russia>wildfires that destroyed gain>less grain imported to Mozambique>unrest and riots as well as looting due to the lack of supplys
-Shows how environemntal changes and man made environmental risks can lead to crime
What is the difference between traditional criminology and green criminology when studying green crime?
Traditional criminology-Not concerned with anything unless it breaks direct laws
-This definition is clearly measurable but laws are often controlled/ made by big groups e.g TNC’s so can make own definitions
Green criminology-Focused on the notion of harm rather than criminal law- zemiology
-Argues that domestic law is different in countries so cannot compare
What are the two views of harm?
Whyte distinguiahes between an anthropocentric (human centered) view and ecocentric that sees humans and the environement as interdependent so damage to the environment hurts humans too
-Green criminology takes an ecocentric view
What are the two types of green crime and give examples
South distinguishes between primary and secondary green crimes
Primary-results directly from the destruction and degrading of earths resources e.g air polution,deforestation,water pollution
Secondary- crimes that occur from flouting rules that regulate/prevent environmental disasters e.g the explosion of the Rainbow Warrior that killed a man> tried to prevent a green crime
- Toxic waste dumping to cut costs; may be dumped in LED that lack legislation for it to be a crime
What is state crime?
Green and Ward argue it is ‘illegal or deviant activities perpetrated/ allowed by state agencies’
Why is state crime arguable the most serious form of crime?
1)Occurs on such a large scale
-State enforcers also have the power to define what is criminal meaning crimes be concealed or evaded
What are the four categories of state crime?
McLaughlin:
-Political crimes e.g corruption
Crimes by police forces e.g genocide/tortue
-Economic crimes e.g violation of health and safety laws
-Social and cultural crimes e.g institutional racism
How is the Genocide in Rwanda an example of a state crime?
Western interference in Rwanda divided Tutsis and Hutus into seperate ethnic groups, creating divisions and inequalities between them. Uplifting Tutsis and using them to mediate their rule of Hutu majority
-Rwanda got independence and Hutus took control
Civil war broke up led by state-backed Hutu milliti, killing 800,000 Tutsis
What are the two types of state coorporate crime
Kramer and Michilianowski; state facilitated and state initiated
State initiated; state apporves coorporate crimes e.g NASA state agency cut corners to reduce costs and led to explosion that killed 7 astronauts
State facilitated; state fails to regulate coorporate behaviour e.g BP oil spill as state didnt do necessary checks to notice coorporations cost cutting descisions
What are the two types of war crimes?
Illegal wars e.g claiming self defence such as US-led wars in Afghanistan and Iraq by claiming they possessed weapons of mass destruction
Crimes commited during war or its aftermath e.g torturing of prisoners, bombing of civillians e.g Hiroshima and Nagasaki
What are the 5 ways that state crime can be defined?
Domestic law- Chambiss argues it is any act defined by criminal commited by state officials (ignores fact state can make laws to protect themselves)
Social harms and zemiology-Legally permissable acts that have consequences similar to illegal acts(difficult to know what counts as harm/what level is considered a crime)
Labelling and societal reaction-State crime depends on whether the audience believes it is a crime, state crime is socially consrtucted so cany vary over time/not definite (audience may be manipulated by ruling class ideology/media)
International law- Rothe and Mullins any crime that violates international law(international law focuses only on war crimes no corruption)
Human rights- Herman and Scwendinger argue it is a violation of individuals rights by the state e.g racism,sexism(Cohen argues thst some human rights abuses e.g economic exploitation are not inherently criminal)
How does Adorno explain state crime?
Adorno identifies an authoritarian personality in which individuals have a willingness to obey the order of superiors
-Argued that during WW2 many germans had authoritarian personality due to disciplinarian socialisation patterns at the time
-However may be unrealistic to explaining state crime on a large scale
How can crimes of obedience be used to explainn state crimes?
-State officials commit crimes because they are confoming to other expectations e.g police officer that accepts a bribe is conforming to norms of police unit but going against domestic law
-Kelman identifies three features that leads to crimes of obedience;
Authoritisation-moral obligation to obey those in authority
Routinisation-once it is doen once it is turned into a routine task, removing emotion
Dehuminisation-enemy is portrayed as subhuman, makes it easier as morality doesnt apply
Give an example of a crime of obedience?
My Lai massacre;
soldiers obeyed authority, violence became routine and victims were dehuminised
-All of which made it easier to be brutal
How can modernity explain state crime?
Bauman argues that features of modern society made holocaust possible
-Division of labour- doing one small tasks allows you to divide responsibility about atrocity
-bureaucratisation; normalised the killing into a routine job
-Instrumental rationality;using rational effeicient methods to reach goal of murder
-Science and technology- allowed ease of transport of victims as well as industrial gas used to kill them
