Crimes of Obediance

• State crimes are crimes of conformity. Conforming to one norm means deviating from the other. 
• Many people are willing to obey authority even when this involves harming others. Sociologists argue that such actions are due to role socialisation. 
• Green and Ward 2004: in order to overcome norms against the use of cruelty, individuals must overcome norms against the use of cruelty. Individuals need to be re-socialised and exposed to propaganda about the ‘enemy’. States create ‘enclaves of barbarianism’ where torture is practised, such as military bases, segregated from outside society which allows the torturer to regard it as a ‘9 to 5’ job. 
• Kelman and Hamilton 1989 - Three general producers to crimes of obedience: 

  1. Authorisation - when acts are ordered, moral principles are replaced by the duty to obey 
  2. Routinisation - once a crime has been committed, strong pressure to turn the act into a routine that can be performed in a detached manner 
  3. Dehumanisation - when the enemy is portrayed as sub-human, normal principles of morality do not apply