Sociology - Crime

What are Examples of the global crime economy?

• sex tourism, going abroad for sexual exploitation. Now enhanced with cheaper flights and internet access

• Smuggling, e.g cigarettes

• Cybercrimes, e.g fraud

• Arms trafficking

• Woman and child trafficking, trafficked against their will

• Green crimes, crimes against the environment

• Drugs and money laundering

• Illegal immigrant smuggling

• International terrorism, e.g Manchester arena

• Trafficking cultural artifacts

• Body part trafficking

• Nuclear material trafficking

What are examples of UK modern day slavery?

• illegal immigrant smuggling, people pay money to be transported across borders to work (in the west). People may send this money back to their home countries or because they want a better life in that new country

• Sex workers and cannabis growers, people who work in these industries have normally been trafficked and are being held against their will. Because they are here illegally they are treated as criminals. Gang masters often manipulate these immigrants with threats for their family back home

• Nail technicians and car washers, these jobs are staffed by low paid foreign workers, they are exploited as society expects cheap services

What did Glenny 08 argue? McMafia

He argued that the global crime economy emerged from the collapse of the Soviet Union, many people got rich very quickly form buying oil cheaply and selling it for a massive profit in the West. At the time disorder was an issue so the wealthy created mafia style organisations to protect themselves

What are some of Glenny’s examples of the global crime economy

• Smuggling of cigarettes, this costs the economy as tax revenues are lost, e.g the uk lost $8 billion in taxes from smuggled cigarettes. These are transported on high speed boats and they can’t be caught as the police doesn’t have fast enough transport.

• Congolese civil war, mining of coltan in the Congo which is used in mobile technology and laptops. the global crime economy and gangs took advantage of the knowledge they could sell this coltan to Multi-national countries, they would trade weapons with tribes for access leading to the civil war. Tribes would fight now with different advantages and around 5 million died.

• Counterfeit goods, for example malaria drugs. The production of cheap malaria drugs has impacted the effectiveness of real ones. The low dosage in these drugs had led to mosquitos becoming immune to medication leading to loss of life

What are the economic effects of the global crime economy?

How can the global crime economy lead to an increase in other crimes?

For instance, in Columbia around 20% of its GDP relies on drug trade in cocaine. Wages from jobs created in this trade add tax revenue to the economy which is needed, countries like this are reliant on crime

Taylor in 97’ argued unemployment caused by loss of high street/imported goods has made people more likely to commit these crimes