Explaining State Crime HOWEVER, not all genocides are committed by highly What is state crime?
organised organisations, e.g. the Rwandan genocide.
- Adorno - The authoritarian personality State crime is illegal or deviant activities perpetrated by, or with the complicity of state
This is a willingness to obey the orders of superiors without question. agencies.
They argue that at the time of WW2 many Germans possessed this. Examples of state crime include:
They are committed by or - Torture - Police corruption
on behalf of states and - Genocide - War crimes
- Crimes of obedience governments as a way to - Terrorism - Assassination
Crimes usually go against social norms. However, state crimes are more crimes of further their policies. - Imprisonment
conformity since they require obedience to a higher authority. without trial
Research findings show people are willing to obey authority even when involving harm. - McLaughlin
He identifies 4 categories of state crime:
- A division of labour - Political crimes, e.g. Real life
People are only responsible for one small thing, so don’t feel corruption/censorship
example of
responsible for the overall atrocity. - Crimes by security e.g.
genocide and torture State Crime:
Crime as a - Science and technology
- Economic crimes Guantanamo
violation of Industrially produced gas, railways for
transporting victims to death camps etc. - Social/cultural crimes e.g. Bay - USA
Human Rights institutional racism
The detention camp was used to house Muslim
Critical Criminologists argue that crime should be militants and suspects terrorists captured by U.S.
defined in terms of the violation of basic human forces in Afghanistan and Iraq predominantly.
rights rather than the breaking of legal rules that
are set down. Crime and The camp was repeatedly condemned by international human rights
Deviance - and humanitarian organizations for alleged human rights violations,
States denying human rights must be regarded as criminals. including torture during interrogations.
State Crime
States practicing racism, sexism or inflicting economic exploitation on
their citizens are committing crimes. This demonstrates the seriousness of
Advantages of the Disadvantages of the State Crimes alongside the fact they take
definition definition place at such a high scale.
- Virtually all - Inevitably
states care political State corporate crime
about their Links to
human rights Labelling Links to State crimes are often committed in unison with
image Theory Marxism corporate crimes. Due to this Kramer and Michalowski
- These rights
distinguished between:
are global The state
Argues that whether an act - ‘State initiated’ crime
social norms consists
constitutes a crime - ‘State facilitated’ crime
depends on whether the entirely of the
‘audience’ for that act R/C which can
enforce laws - State initiated crime: The Challenger Space Shuttle Disaster 1986
defines it as a crime. Decisions by NASA and a corporation working on the shuttle made risky, negligent and
and commit
In this case, society, views this as a crime. crimes which cost cutting decisions which subsequently led to the explosion that resulted in 7 deaths
cater to them. of astronauts 73 seconds after blast off.
This definition recognises that state crime is
socially constructed and so what people regard - State facilitated crime: Deepwater Horizon oil rig Disaster 2010
as a state crime can vary over time and In turn, they are able to
State fails to regulate and control corporate behaviour which therefore makes crime
between cultures and groups. ignore and even go
against the interests of easier.The rig which was leased by BP exploded and sank. This resulted in 11
the working class. workers’ deaths and caused the largest accidental oil spill in history.
However, this definition is vague.
organised organisations, e.g. the Rwandan genocide.
- Adorno - The authoritarian personality State crime is illegal or deviant activities perpetrated by, or with the complicity of state
This is a willingness to obey the orders of superiors without question. agencies.
They argue that at the time of WW2 many Germans possessed this. Examples of state crime include:
They are committed by or - Torture - Police corruption
on behalf of states and - Genocide - War crimes
- Crimes of obedience governments as a way to - Terrorism - Assassination
Crimes usually go against social norms. However, state crimes are more crimes of further their policies. - Imprisonment
conformity since they require obedience to a higher authority. without trial
Research findings show people are willing to obey authority even when involving harm. - McLaughlin
He identifies 4 categories of state crime:
- A division of labour - Political crimes, e.g. Real life
People are only responsible for one small thing, so don’t feel corruption/censorship
example of
responsible for the overall atrocity. - Crimes by security e.g.
genocide and torture State Crime:
Crime as a - Science and technology
- Economic crimes Guantanamo
violation of Industrially produced gas, railways for
transporting victims to death camps etc. - Social/cultural crimes e.g. Bay - USA
Human Rights institutional racism
The detention camp was used to house Muslim
Critical Criminologists argue that crime should be militants and suspects terrorists captured by U.S.
defined in terms of the violation of basic human forces in Afghanistan and Iraq predominantly.
rights rather than the breaking of legal rules that
are set down. Crime and The camp was repeatedly condemned by international human rights
Deviance - and humanitarian organizations for alleged human rights violations,
States denying human rights must be regarded as criminals. including torture during interrogations.
State Crime
States practicing racism, sexism or inflicting economic exploitation on
their citizens are committing crimes. This demonstrates the seriousness of
Advantages of the Disadvantages of the State Crimes alongside the fact they take
definition definition place at such a high scale.
- Virtually all - Inevitably
states care political State corporate crime
about their Links to
human rights Labelling Links to State crimes are often committed in unison with
image Theory Marxism corporate crimes. Due to this Kramer and Michalowski
- These rights
distinguished between:
are global The state
Argues that whether an act - ‘State initiated’ crime
social norms consists
constitutes a crime - ‘State facilitated’ crime
depends on whether the entirely of the
‘audience’ for that act R/C which can
enforce laws - State initiated crime: The Challenger Space Shuttle Disaster 1986
defines it as a crime. Decisions by NASA and a corporation working on the shuttle made risky, negligent and
and commit
In this case, society, views this as a crime. crimes which cost cutting decisions which subsequently led to the explosion that resulted in 7 deaths
cater to them. of astronauts 73 seconds after blast off.
This definition recognises that state crime is
socially constructed and so what people regard - State facilitated crime: Deepwater Horizon oil rig Disaster 2010
as a state crime can vary over time and In turn, they are able to
State fails to regulate and control corporate behaviour which therefore makes crime
between cultures and groups. ignore and even go
against the interests of easier.The rig which was leased by BP exploded and sank. This resulted in 11
the working class. workers’ deaths and caused the largest accidental oil spill in history.
However, this definition is vague.
