State Crime

Question 1

State crime and human rights

Answer 1

Schwedinger and Schwedinger identify crime as breaking human rights, through imperialism, racism or sexism. Such as Nazi concentration camps

Question 2

State crime and human rights evaluation

Answer 2

There is only limited agreement about what constitutes a human right, UDHR has been criticized on imposing western values onto all countries

Question 3

State crime and the culture of denial

Answer 3

Cohen says dictatorships will simply deny crime, saying it didn’t happen, or its not what it looks like, or it is justified

Question 4

State crime and the culture of denial evaluation

Answer 4

Lacks contemporary relevance

Question 5

Neutralisation theory

Answer 5

Matza says that the state justifies human rights abuse, through denial of victim, denial of injury, denial of responsibility

Question 6

Neutralisation theory evaluation

Answer 6

Government officials can be punished for committing state crime

Question 7

Crimes of obedience

Answer 7

People are willing to obey authority, even if it means committing state crime. My Lai massacre in Vietnam, American soldiers killed 400 civilians. Authorisation and dehumanisation

Question 8

State crime is crime of modernity

Answer 8

Bauman says that modern society creates these conditions, allowing crim on a larger scale, globalisation, gas chambers, etc

Question 9

State crime is crime of modernity evaluation

Answer 9

Small government agencies can carry out crime anywhere due to globalisation