Globalisation, Green Crime, Human Rights and State Crime

Question 1

What is globalisation?

Answer 1

Increased interconnectedness of societies; what happens in one place impacts others.

Question 2

What has globalisation caused?

Answer 2

1) . Spread of new ICT/technology.
2) . Influence of global mass media.
3) . Cheap air travel.
4) . Deregulation of financial and other market.

Question 3

Who suggested a globalisation of crime?

Answer 3

Held et al. =

increasing interconnectedness of crime across borders, the spread of transnational organised crime.

Question 4

What is the term used to study crime?

Answer 4

Zemiology =

it doesn’t have to be a crime, but be perceived to harm someone in order to study it.

Question 5

What is meant by ‘transgressive theory’?

Answer 5

Theory goes beyond the boundaries of other theories - it allows us to study issues that aren’t necessarily illegal.

Question 6

What did Castell (1998) find?

Answer 6

Suggests there is a global criminal economy worth over £1 trillion per year.

Question 7

What are the examples Castell uses?

Answer 7

1). Sex tourism =

legitimate looking tourist areas where tourists go to have sex.

2). Drug trades =

trading drugs across borders - worth $300-400 billion annually at street price.

3). Cyber crimes =

crimes committed online.

4). Trafficking body parts =

selling body parts.

5). Money laundering =

spending small amounts of money from organised crime, worth $1.5 trillion annually.

Question 8

What would Marxists argue about trafficking body parts?

Answer 8

If the bourgeoisie can’t get a donor, they have enough money to buy it from the proletariat, a form of exploitation.

Question 9

How does the demand of drugs cause crime in Third World Countries?

Answer 9

In third world countries, peasants find it more profitable to produce drugs instead of traditional crops, for the Western world.

Question 10

What is global ‘risk consciousness’?

Answer 10

Risk is seen as global rather than local.

e.g. economic migration (asylum seekers) increases anxiety in The West.

Lead to social control (increased border control).

Question 11

Which Marxist argues that globalisation has led to greater inequality?

Answer 11

Taylor (1997).

Question 12

According to Taylor, has globalisation increased crime of the poor and rich?

Answer 12

Yes.

Question 13

What does Taylor say increased crime of the poor?

Answer 13

1) . Job insecurity and inequality of wages =
- de-industrialisation of the West.
- low wages abroad.
- relative deprivation globally = encourages crime (especially in drug industries).

Question 14

How does Taylor say globalisation has increased crime of the rich?

Answer 14

1) . Deregulation of financial markets (government has little control over economies) =
- allows insider trading and tax evasion.
- creates large-scale criminal opportunities.

Question 15

How has the media tried to reduce insider trading and tax evasion?

Answer 15

By publicising those that attempt it =

• tried to deter people from attempting it.
• but it has made little impact.

Question 16

How do LR say globalisation has encouraged crime?

Answer 16

Materialistic culture promoted by global media conglomerates =

• encourage people to think of themselves.
• undermines social cohesion and encourages crime.

Question 17

How does Taylor say new employment patterns has created new opportunities for crime?

Answer 17

e. g. subcontracting to recruit ‘flexible’ worker (0 hr contracts).
- allows illegal workers (e.g. child labour abroad).

Question 18

How is Taylor criticised?

Answer 18

1). He doesn’t explain why many poor people DON’T turn to crime.

Question 19

What are the 2 patterns of criminal organisations created by globalisation?

Answer 19

1) . ‘Glocal’ system.

2) . McMafia.

Question 20

What do Hobbs and Dunningham mean by a ‘glocal’ system?

Answer 20

Globalisation has impacted local crimes =

• local criminals rely on globalisation to commit crime.
• global and local crimes are interlinked.
• crime is locally based, with global connections.

Question 21

What is an example of a ‘glocal’ system?

Answer 21

Drug industry =

• bought locally, sold globally.
• can result in negative impacts locally (US drug bust = impact local drug trade as there would be none).

Question 22

What does Glenny (2008) mean by the McMafia?

Answer 22

Organisations formed in Russia and Eastern Europe after the fall of communism (1989).

Question 23

What percentage of the world GDP is organised crime?

Answer 23

15%.

Question 24

How did the fall of communism lead to the formation of organised crimes?

Answer 24

• Deregulated the Russian market.
• Commodities (oil, gas, metals, etc) stayed at a Soviet price, and locals who could afford it bought them, and sold them on the expensive world market.
• This created capitalism.
• Capitalists turned to the Mafia (ex-state/secret servicemen) to protect them.
• The Mafia assisted the movement of products, and ensured protection of wealth.

Question 25

What is meant by green crimes?

Answer 25

Crimes that inflict harm on the environment, and animals.

Question 26

Who says that we are in a ‘global risk society’?

Answer 26

Beck =

• most threats to human well being = human-made.

Question 27

What does Beck describe late modern society as a ‘global risk society’?

Answer 27

In late modernity =

• mass production = ‘manufactured risks’.

Question 28

What are ‘manufactured risks’?

Answer 28

Risks we haven’t seen before, which humans made.

• e.g. climate change.

Question 29

How does Beck say these ‘manufactured risks’ have become global?

Answer 29

e. g. pollution =
- it’s everywhere, mass produced by factories in the West.
- the West’s global warming has created risks/harm to the environment everywhere.

Question 30

How is green crime linked to globalisation?

Answer 30

Threats to the eco-system have global effects =

• e.g. nuclear explosion in one country –> spreads radioactive materials elsewhere.

Question 31

What are the 2 green criminology perspectives?

Answer 31

1) . Traditional =
- only studies patterns that are law-breaking.
2) . Green criminology =
- transgressive (any act, legal or not).

Question 32

What is traditional criminology?

Answer 32

Only concerned with acts that break laws =

• if pollution is legal, they aren’t concerned with it.

Question 33

How is traditional criminology criticised?

Answer 33

1). Criticised for accepting official definitions of environmental problems.

Question 34

What is green criminology?

Answer 34

Cares about anything that’s harmful (zemiology) =

• laws don’t matter as they differ between countries.
• most environmental issues are legal, so they are transgressive.

Question 35

How is green criminology criticised?

Answer 35

1) . Subjective =

- about which actions ought to be regarded as wrong.

Question 36

What are the 2 views of harm?

Answer 36

1) . Nation-state =
- apply an anthropocentric view of environmental harm.
2) . Green criminology =
- ecocentric view.

Question 37

What is an anthropocentric view?

Answer 37

Humans have the right to control the environment for their own economic growth (put profit first).

Question 38

What is an ecocentric view?

Answer 38

Humans and the environment are interdependent.

• harming the environment harms humans.

Question 39

What are the 2 types of green crime?

Answer 39

South (2008) =

1) . Primary green crime =
- results from directly destroying the earth’s resources.
2) . Secondary green crime =
- flouting rules that claim to protect the environment.

Question 40

What are some examples of green crimes?

Answer 40

1) . Coca Cola.
2) . BP oil spillage.
3) . Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
4) . Bhopal, Indian cyanide gas leak.

Question 41

How has Coca Cola committed a green crime?

Answer 41

• Usually mass produced in 3rd World countries (India) and drains their water supply.
• Dumps waste water back in their streams, polluting their water supply.

Question 42

How did Coca Cola commit primary/secondary green crimes?

Answer 42

1) . Primary =
- destroyed the river beds and polluted the area, killing the fish.
2) . Secondary =
- used vulnerable areas with no regulating laws.
- Taylor –> doing it for a profit, and not committing a crime.

Question 43

How has BP committed a green crime?

Answer 43

Oil spillage =

• 34,000 birds died.
• poisoned the ocean.
• 11 people died.
• mass recession of fishing (in tourist area).

Question 44

How did BP commit a primary green crime?

Answer 44

Destroyed the ocean through negligence, and committed manslaughter as a result.

Question 45

How was the Chernobyl nuclear power plant explosion a green crime?

Answer 45

• 400x more radiation than Hiroshima.
• all due to a test.
• completely damaged Chernobyl, still inaccessible.

Question 46

How did Chernobyl power plant commit a primary green crime?

Answer 46

Tried to cover it up =

• birds spread the radiation –> 4,000 cancer deaths related to Chernobyl.

Question 47

How was the Bhopal cyanide leak a green crime?

Answer 47

• Polluted the area, killing 20,000 people.

Question 48

How did Bhopal commit a primary/secondary green crime?

Answer 48

1) . Primary =
- toxic waste in environment, killing 20,000 people.
- tried to cover it up (did a good job = barely anyone knows about it).
2) . Secondary =
- built in a city centre, more vulnerable.
- only paid a settlement of $470 million.

Question 49

Link the Bhopal gas disaster to functionalism and Marxism?

Answer 49

1) . Functionalism =
- restitutive justice = compensation over human life.
2) . Marxism =
- corporate crime –> pay off debt instead of punishment.