Sociologists should investigate state organised crime as well as crimes caused by capitalism
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What is State crime? Give 2 examples
State crime includes all forms of crime committed by or on behalf of states and governments e.g. Genocide, War Crimes
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What are the 4 categories of State crime that McLaughin identifies?
1) Political crimes (censorship) 2)Crimes by security and police forces (torture) 3)Economic crimes (violations of H&S laws) 4)Social crimes (institutional racism)
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What are the two reasons that state crime is one of the most serious crimes?
1) The scale of state crime 2)The state is the source of law
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How does the scale of state crime make it serious?
he power of the state allows it to commit very large scale crimes with widespread victimisation. The states monopoly of violence gives it the potential to inflict massive harm while it's power allows it to conceal the crimes
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Give an example of a large scale state crime
In cambodia 1975-78. The government is thought to have killed 2 million people
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How do critical criminologists the SCHWENDINGERS' argue we should define crime?
In terms of a violation of basic human rights and not breaking the legal rules. Thus, states that practice racism, sexism etc are committing crime as they are denying individuals or groups their basic rights
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How does Cohen criticise the SCHWENDINGERS view?
genocide, torture and assault are clear cut crimes, other acts such as economic exploitation are not self-evidently criminal, although we may see them as morally unacceptable
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What is COHEN interested in, what does he argue?
Interested in the ways states conceal and legitimise their human rights crimes. he argues dictatorships simply den committing such acts and democratic states have to legitimise their actions in more complex ways
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What do state justifications of crime follow?
A 3 stage 'spiral of state denial'
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What is the 1st stage of state denial?
It didn't happen - the state claims there was no massacre, but then human rights organisations and the media prove it did
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What is the 2nd stage of state denial?
if it dd happen, 'It was something else' - The state says it is not what it looks like, its self-defense
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What is the 3rd stage of state denial?
Even if it is what you say, it's justified' - It had to be done in order to protect national security
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What is Neutralisation Theory?
Techniques used when attempting to justify or impose a different construction of the event from what might appear to the the case
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What 3 features produce crimes of obedience?
1) Authorisation 2)Routinisation 3)Dehumanisation
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What is Authorisation?
When acts are ordered by those in authority, normal moral principles are replaced
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What is Routinisation?
Once the crime has been committed, there is a strong pressure to turn the act into a routine which individuals can perform in a detached manner
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What is Dehumanisation?
When the enemy is portrayed as sub-human rather than human and described as animals
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Other cards in this set
Card 2
Front
What is State crime? Give 2 examples
Back
State crime includes all forms of crime committed by or on behalf of states and governments e.g. Genocide, War Crimes
Card 3
Front
What are the 4 categories of State crime that McLaughin identifies?
Back
Card 4
Front
What are the two reasons that state crime is one of the most serious crimes?
Back
Card 5
Front
How does the scale of state crime make it serious?
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