Global Crime

• Globalisation refers to the increasing interconnectedness of societies, so that what happens in one locality is shaped by distant events and vice versa.

  Globalisation has many causes. These include:

  ü the spread of new information and communication technologiesüthe influence of global mass mediaücheap air travelüthe deregulation of financial and other markets and their opening up to competitionüeasier movement so that businesses can relocate to countries where profits will be greater.
• •As societies become more interconnected, crime increases across national borders.•There are new opportunities for crime, new means for committing crime and new offences, such as various cyber-crimes.•Manuel Castells (1998) argues that the global criminal economy is worth over… 1 trill
• Supply And Demand

  Part of the reason for transnational crime is the economy of supply and demand.

  •The rich West demands products eg. drugs, sex workers, imitation goods.•The poor Third World countries supply these services.••For example in Columbia 20% of the population is dependent on the cocaine trade for their livelihood.  
• Global Risks Consciousness

  •Globalisation has bought with it an increase in insecurities surrounding the movement of people such as asylum seekers, economic migrants etc.•This in turn had led to increasing border patrols to protect countries from this perceived threat.•Much of this is whipped up by media ‘moral panics’ about terrorists and ‘scroungers’, ‘flooding’ the country.•This has also bought about attempts at international cooperation eg. The ‘wars’ on terror, drugs etc.
• •Taylor (1997) suggests that globalisation, by giving free rein to capitalism has led to greater inequality and thus to increased crime.•This works on the level of transnational companies who switch production to low wage countries with little thought for health and safety etc. These countries have difficulty controlling there own economies.•At the other end of the social scale the poor in developed countries experience more relative deprivation because of unemployment and turn to crime. For example L.A. drugs gangs.•
• Eval


  •Also Taylor points out that grand scale crime by elite groups is created by globalisation, such as banking fraud and insider trading.•Taylor is good for linking global trends to changes in the patterns of crime but it doesn’t explain why some people don’t turn to crime!
• •left realism:–Young - relative deprivation - families sell their children for the money/ think by doing this they are giving there children a better life but also themselves.•right realism:–Hirschi - crime a rational choice/  drug traffickers see the creation of production and distribution of drugs as a legitimate way to make money•Postmodernists:–Beck – instability due to social progress leads to criminal activity in response to regain control
• Strength

  •Unlike many theories, examines crimes of the powerful rather than petty street crime. The former is often far more harmful (e.g. Bhopal disaster).•It is a contemporary, relevant field of study that looks at recent developments in crime.•Useful in that it doesn’t accept traditional definitions of crime and looks at actions that are harmful even if technically legal (e.g. Nestle scandal).
• Weakness

  •Lacking in primary research – as this is a difficult and potentially dangerous area to study first hand (e.g. researching an organised crime network or corporate crime would be difficult).•It is easy to exaggerate the significance of globalisation which affects some countries a lot more than others.•Transgressive criminology is criticised for being too subjective – how are we to decide what counts as ‘harmful’? (e.g. is eating meat a green crime? – some would say so)
• Patterns Of Criminal Organisation

  •Collapse of communism in Russia & Eastern Europe lead to the ‘McMafia’.•The rise of capitalism meant wealthy resources were being brought, and thus needed protection was needed by ‘Mafia’s’.•Mafia’s included ex-convict individuals, and were pivotal to ensure the ‘new Russian capitalist class’ entered the world’s economy.
• Green or environmental crime can be defined as crime against the environment (though how to define it more precisely is a matter for debate).

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• Interactionists

  • Labelling & moral panics
  • Social construction of crime
• Marxists

  Chambliss - Crimes of the powerful. Argues greed and self interest generated by a capitalist society motivates crime at all levels. Someone is always looking to exploit the weak and vulnerable/ authorities turn a blind eye (power elites) and don't enforce the law in developing countries
• Subculturalists

  • Cohen – formation of criminal subculture groups – criminal entrepenuers
  • Cloward & Ohlin – creation of illegal opportunity structures
• Functionalists

  Durkheim - human trafficking is a sign that society is breaking down and needs improving – people in poverty, exploitation
• •Deforestation•Illegal trade in animal parts•Over-fishing•Illegal hunting•Health & safety violations (e.g. nuclear facilities)•Air & water pollution•Illegal waste dumping
• Risk Society


  The major risks we face today in the developed worlds are man-made rather than natural
• Beck (1992)


  • Although in late modern society we have the ability to provide adequate resources for all (at least in developed countries) the technology and productivity which allows us to do so has created new 'manufactured risks'
  • Many of these risks involve harm to the environment and its consequences for humanity, such as global warming caused by green house emissions from industry
  • These risks are global rather than local in nature, leading Beck to describe late modern society as "global risk society"
• Global Risks:

  •Extreme weather linked to global warning such as flooding or forest fires.•Raising sea levels due to global warning.•Malnutrition due to crop failure•Contamination of water and air
• Eval

  Sutton (2015) suggests that richer people/classes can afford to live in parts of the world that are least affected by environmental damage.

  He does however support Beck’s claim that environmental harm comes from increasing use of technology.
• Approaches To Green Crime

  •Traditional green criminology focuses on Green Crime which has by definition broken environmental law. They are interested with regulations concerning the environment.     •For example, sociologists such as Situ and Emmons (2000) define environmental crime as “an unauthorised act or omission that violates the law”. It investigates the patterns and causes of law breaking.•
• Approaches To Green Crime

  Contemporary green criminology

  It takes a more radical approach. It starts from the notion of harm rather than criminal law.

  For example Rob White argues that the proper subject of criminology is any action that harms the physical environment and/or humans/animals within it, even if no law has been broken.
• Two Views Of Harm

  •Anthropocentric (human-centred) view: The view taken by many corporations. Sees humans as having the right to use the natural world for their own gain and exploit its resources for profit (e.g. through deforestation) .
• Two Views Of Harm

  •Ecocentric (environment centred) view: the view taken by most green criminologists. They see humans as one part of the ecosystem including plants and animals. Humans do not have the right to exploit the environment.
• Eval Of Green Economy

  qIt recognises the growing importance of environmental issues and the need to address the harms and risks of environmental damageqIt looks at the crimes of the powerful and exposes how nation-states and transnational corporations are able to define in their own interests what counts as unacceptable environmental harm
• Eval Of Green Economy

  qBy focussing on the much broader concept of harms rather than simply legally defined crimes, it is hard to define. Critics argue that this is a matter of values and cannot be established objectivelyqDifficult to track and prosecute