human rights and state crime

• What did Green and Ward (2005) define as state crime?


  Illegal or deviant activities by state agencies
• What are the four types of state crime identified by McLaughlin (2001)?


  Political, economic, social/cultural, police crimes
• Why does the state's power allow it to commit large-scale crimes?

  It enables widespread victimization and concealment
• What was the impact of the Khmer Rouge government in Cambodia from 1975-1978?


  Wiped out 1/5 of the population
• How does the state evade punishment for crimes?

  By defining what is criminal and managing justice
• What makes it difficult for external authorities to intervene in state crimes?

  The principle of national sovereignty
• What was the outcome of the genocide in Rwanda?


  800,000 Tutsi were killed by Hutu militia
• What is state-initiated corporate crime?

  When states approve or initiate corporate crime
• What is state-facilitated corporate crime?

  When states fail to regulate corporate behavior
• What are the two types of war crimes?

  Illegal wars and crimes during war
• What is the focus of Neutralisation Theory according to Cohen?


  How states justify or deny their crimes
• What does the authoritarian personality refer to?

  A willingness to obey orders without question
• What are the three features of crimes of obedience identified by Kelman and Hamilton?


  Authorization, routinization, dehumanization
• What four features of modern society made the Nazi Holocaust possible according to Bauman?


  Division of labor, bureaucratization, rationality, technology
• How does the definition of crime become political?

  By accepting the state's legal definitions
• What is the criticism of the 'harms' definition of state crime?

  It can be very vague regarding harm levels
• What do critical criminologists argue about defining crime?

  It should focus on violations of human rights
• What is the culture of denial according to Cohen?


  States conceal and legitimize human rights abuses
• What is the significance of the three-stage 'spiral of denial' in democratic states?

  It legitimizes their actions and crimes
• What is the advantage of defining state crime through international law?

  It uses a globally agreed definition
• What is the main focus of zemiology according to Hillyard et al (2004)?


  Study of harms, legal or not
• What is the relationship between state crime and corporate crime according to Kramer & Michalowski?


  State crimes often occur with corporate crimes
• What is the definition of state crime according to Rothe & Mullins?


  Actions violating international or domestic laws
• How does Marxism view state crime?

  As serving the interests of corporations
• What is the significance of the definition of state crime used by the Canadian government?

  It can be problematic in proving state crimes
• What are the key concepts related to state crime?

  • Definition by Green and Ward
  • Types of state crime by McLaughlin
  • Scale and concealment of state crime
  • Case studies: Rwanda, Khmer Rouge
  • Relationship with corporate crime
  • Definitions by sociologists
  • Neutralisation theory
  • Authoritarian personality
  • Crimes of obedience
  • Modernity's role in state crime
• What are the implications of defining crime in terms of human rights?

  • Focus on violations of basic human rights
  • Critique of traditional legal definitions
  • Recognition of economic exploitation as a crime
  • Importance of addressing state denial of abuses
• What are the criticisms of the 'harms' approach to state crime?

  • Vagueness in defining harm levels
  • Potential for subjective interpretations
  • Difficulty in establishing legal accountability
• What are the features of the 'spiral of denial' in democratic states?

  1. Denial of the victim
  2. Denial of injury
  3. Denial of responsibility
  4. Condemning the condemners
  5. Appealing to higher loyalties