State Crime

Question 1

Define State Crime

Answer 1

Ward and Green define state crime as ‘illegal or deviant activities committed by, or with the complicity of state agencies on behalf of the state or government. Croall suggests that state crimes occur in all countries but is more likely in authoritian regimes like North Korea

Question 2

McLaughlin 4 types of state crime

Answer 2

Political crimes - eg China censorship to access internet
Security/police force crimes - eg torture in abu graib prisons
Economic crimes - eg Grenfell Tower
Cultural crimes - institutional racism

Question 3

Overcoming the problem of defining state crime as countries define what is legal and illegal

Answer 3

Herman suggests we can overcome this as the approach states crimes are crimes that violate human rights. These are crimes no matter what country tey occur in. organisations like the UN set out what human rights are suhc as liberty, freedom of speech, right to trial, right to vote

Question 4

Feminism and State Crime

Answer 4

Feminists would argue that many state crimes are simply extensions of the patriarchal control of men. This is because many state crimes involve the systematic victimisation of women and children

Question 5

Interactionism and State Crime

Answer 5

Suggest state crime is a consequence of moral entrepeneurs labelling the activity as criminal

Question 6

Interactionism and State Crime - Cohen

Answer 6

Rather than looking at what constitutes as human rights violation, it is more important to see how its justified and legitimised within a country. One way is through the spiral of decline.

Stage 1 - it did not happen
Stage 2 - its something else
Stage 3 - its justified

Question 7

How does the government justify their actions - Matza techniques of neutralisation

Answer 7

• denial of victim
• denial of injury
• denial of responsibility
• condeming the condemers
• appeal to higher loyalty

Question 8

Psychological explanations - obedience model

Answer 8

Kelman and Hamilton suggest most crimes such as genocide occur due to obedience

• authorisation
• routinisation
• dehumanisation

Question 9

EVALUATION of state crime

Answer 9

STRENGTHS
- supporting evidence for obedience model by Milgram
- important as they are serious

WEAKNESSES
- human rights definitions dont cover all types of state crime
- lack of opportunity to conduct sociological research