State crimes

Question 1

What are war crimes and use Nazis as an example

Answer 1

War crimes can be committed by individuals, groups and the state they are punishable offences. Thank you direct attacks against of civilians,torture or inhumane treatment of Prisoners. War crimes trials were held at numberg To prosecute prominent Nazis after the Second World War.

Question 2

Examples of why it is problematic and controversial to decide what is a war crime, and who is a war criminal & gorgebush

Answer 2

Some examples include the atomic bombs dropped on hiroshima and nagasaki. More recently, some commentators have argued that the war in Iraq was an illegal war, and that George Bush should be tried for war crimes because thousands of people died as a result of the conflict

Question 3

What is genocide.

Answer 3

Refers to violent crimes, committed against national ethnic, racial or religious groups

Question 4

What is a more recent example of genocide

Answer 4

Darfur: Where is Civil War have been raging since 1993. Wasn’t organised campaign by militants. aim is to wipe out 80 black African groups

Question 5

William chambliss

Answer 5

Argues that sociologist should investigate, stay organised crime, as well as crimes of capitalism

Question 6

penny green and tony ward

Answer 6

Define state crime is illegal or deviant activities. It includes or form of crime committed by or on behalf of states and government.

Question 7

eugene mclaughlin four categories of state crime

Answer 7

One: political crimes, for example, corruption, and censorship
2: Crimes by security and police forces, such as genocide and torture
3: Economic crimes, for example, violations of health and safety
4: Social and cultural crimes, such as institutional racism

Question 8

The power of the state enables it to commit extremely large-scale and widespread victimisation, for example

Answer 8

Cambodia, where they killed the 2 million people

Question 9

michalowski & kramer Note, great power, and great crimes inseparable. They argue that we need to study…

Answer 9

The way is the economic and political elite can bring death, disease, and loss of tens of thousands of the single decision

Question 10

The state monopoly of violence

Answer 10

Gives it the potential to inflict massive harm. Media attention is often on state crimes, committed by thousand watt dictatorships. Demetre Cratic states such as Britain have also been guilty of crimes such as military use of torture


Question 11

Principle of national sovereignty 

Answer 11

States the supreme authority within their own borders, it makes it very difficult for external authorities to intervene. Despite the existence of international conventions and law against attacks, such as genocide.

Question 12

The state is also the source of law argument

Answer 12

It is the state’s role to define what is criminal and manage the criminal justice system. The law also means that it can Avoid defending its own harmful actions, such as Nazi Germany, who created laws for their crime. 

Question 13

One approach to the study of state crime is through the notion of human rights. There is no single agreed list of what constitutes human rights. However, most definitions include the following.
(Natural rights)

Answer 13

That people are regarded as having simply by virtue of existing. Such as rights to life, liberty and free-speech.

Question 14

One approach to the study of state crime is through the notion of human rights. There is no single agreed list of what constitutes human rights. However, most definitions include the following.
Civil rights

Answer 14

Civil rights, such as the right to vote, to privacy, to fair trial, or to education

Question 15

Crime is the violation of human rights
herman & julia shwendinger

Answer 15

Argue that we should define crimes in terms of the violation of basic human rights, than the breaking of legal rules. For example, states of practice, racism, or sexism or committing crimes. The view is an example of transgressive criminology, sent over steps, traditional boundaries of criminology that are defined by criminal law

Question 16

shwendingers Object to the idea that:

Answer 16

A man who steals a son can be called a criminal, bus agents of the state can legally reward men who destroy food, so the price levels can be maintained.

Question 17

stanley cohen Criticises, the shwendingers view how?

Answer 17

For example, was gross violations of human rights, such as genocide and torture or clearly crimes, but other asks like economic exploitation, or not self-evidently criminal. Even if they are morally unacceptable.

Question 18

What are the criticisms for shwendingers

Answer 18

There is only limited agreement on what counts as a human right

Question 19

Although cohen criticised the shwendingers, He sees the issue of human rights and state crime, as increasingly central both political debate and criminology as a result of what two factors

Answer 19

The growing impact of the international human rights movement. And the increased focus within criminology upon victims.

Question 20

cohen Is interested in the ways in which state conceal legitimise their human rights crimes. He argues that wall dictatorships, generally deny committing human rights. Abuses democratic states have to legitimise actions. They follow a three stage spiral of state denial
What is stage one?

Answer 20

It didn’t happen. For example, the state claims there was no massacre. But then human rights organisations, victims and the media saw that it did happen.

Question 21

cohen Is interested in the ways in which state conceal legitimise their human rights crimes. He argues that wall dictatorships, generally deny committing human rights. Abuses democratic states have to legitimise actions. They follow a three stage spiral of state denial
Stage two

Answer 21

If it didn’t happen, it is something else. The state says that it is not what it looks like, and then it’s collateral damage or self defence.

Question 22

cohen Is interested in the ways in which state conceal legitimise their human rights crimes. He argues that wall dictatorships, generally deny committing human rights. Abuses democratic states have to legitimise actions. They follow a three stage spiral of state denial
Istage three

Answer 22

Even if it is what you say is, it’s justified to protect national scrutiny, or the fight in the war on terror

Question 23

cohen neutralisation theiry, what is it & 5 points

Answer 23

Examined on the ways in which state and the officials denied or justified their crime.
Denial of victim, denial of injury, Denial of responsibility, condemning the condemners. Appeal to higher loyalty.

Question 24

kelman & hamilton Identify three features that produce crimes of obedience.

Answer 24

Authorisation (approved by those in authority), routinisation (pressure to turn the crime into a routine), dehumanisation,

Question 25

Chamber list, define state crime as acts define bylaw as criminal and condemn by state officials in pursuit of their jobs as representatives of the state. What are some criticisms of this? 

Answer 25

It ignores the fact that state have the power to make laws, so they can avoid criminalising their own actions. They can also make laws to allow them to carry out harmful acts such as Nazis.

Question 26

Social harms, and zeminology. (mochalowski)

Answer 26

Define state crime is including not just a legal acts but also legally permissible act’s has consequences are similar to those of illegal acts act.

Question 27

What is zemiology

Answer 27

The study of harms, whether or not they are against the law

Question 28

Critics argue that a harms definition is very vague, what did they say?

Answer 28

There is a danger that makes the field to Wide, as what level of harm is defined a crime
Who decides what counts as a harm?

Question 29

Labelling and societal reaction.

Answer 29

Labelling theory argues whether an act constitutes a crime depends on whether the social audience Defined it as a crime. Saying that crime is socially constructed.

Question 30

Labelling and social reaction can be seen as even vaguer then social harms, other crit

Answer 30

Ignores the fact that audiences definition may be manipulated by ruling class ideology

Question 31

International law What is it, advantages and disadvantages?

Answer 31

Hello, created an agreement between states such as turnover. An advantage as it doesn’t depend on the sociologists own personal definitions of harm. However, like the laws made by individual states it is a social construction. Another limitation is that international law focuses largely on war crimes and crimes against humanity, rather than at the state crimes like corruption.

Question 32

What are the two types of human rights?

Answer 32

Natural rights and civil rights

Question 33

What is the authoritarian personality? (adorno et al)

Answer 33

To identify this includes a willingness to obey the orders of superiors without questions.

Question 34

Crimes of obedience.

Answer 34

Many people are willing to obey authority, even when it involves harming others

Question 35

Guantánamo Bay

Answer 35

It was a prison for terrorists. However, some were terrorists and some wasn’t. They gave cash rewards to anyone that could catch a terrorist

Question 36

china and wighur muslims

Answer 36

Genocide example, detained in camps.

Question 37

Daffur

Answer 37

Civil war. An organised campaign. People have been tortured raped and injured.