State Crime

Kelman and Hamilton

• authorisation

• routinisation

• dehumanisation

Authorisation (Kelman and Hamilton)

Morality is replaced by obedience. People obey even if it's morally wrong.

Routinisation (Kelman and Hamilton)

Violent or abusive acts becoming normalised.

Dehumanisation (Kelman and Hamilton)

Degradation of a victim is less than a human, removing morality and making state employers feel justified in their actions.

Green and Ward

• integrated theory of state crime

• obedience approach to state crime

Integrated theory of state crime - Green and Ward

State crimes only occur when these 3 factors coincide:

• political motive

• opportunity

• failure of control mechanism

Political motive (Green and Ward)

Governments desire to attack a country, suppress a group or crush an organisation

Opportunity (Green and Ward)

Refers to the justification/excuse resulting from provocative actions from targeted groups or foreign governments the government wants to attack.

Failure of control mechanisms (Green and Ward)

Such as international organisations, plays a role in allowing state crimes to happen and fails to successfully prosecute governments. E.g United Nations, international criminal court

Obedience approach to state crime - Green and Ward

Members of society are deeply internalised and socialised to see obedience to higher authority as fundamental norms and values.

Bauman

modernity as a cause of the holocaust

Modernity as a cause of the holocaust - Bauman

• bureaucratic rationality

• authority and division of labour

• nation-state

• science and the enlightenment

Bureaucratic rationality (Bauman)

The process of finding the most efficient, cost-effective way of achieving a particular goal. e.g concentration camps, execution 'shower rooms' & zyklon B gas.

Authority and division of labour (Bauman)

Due to division of labour, no one feeling responsible for the overall results of the organisation's activities as someone higher up authorised the activities.

Nation-state (Bauman)

The modern concept that nation of people exists in a self-governed state. e.g German people and Germany. People who aren't part of the nation are a threat to the nation-state, e.g jews being eliminated in Germany.

Science and the enlightenment (Bauman)

Science in modernity could solve many problems and provide explanations for existence, i.e evolution.

• Nazis's took darwinism, used this to justify jews as 'unfit' to ensure "pure evolution" for Germany.

Milgram

obedience to authority

Obedience to authority (Milgram)

His shock study found that people would obey even if it had lethal consequences. People with an authoritarian personality were more likely to obey.

Culture of denial - Cohen

• neutralisation theory

• spiral of denial

Neutralisation theory - Cohen

They attempt to neutralise situations (through denial) to prevent public outcry.

Spiral of denial (process) - Cohen

• denial of victim

• denial of harm/injury

• denial of responsibility

• condemning the condemners (claiming enemy still is worse)

• appeals to higher loyalty (i.e defence of western civilisation, some ppl died now but more of us will be saved!!)

Kramer and Michalowski

state-corporate crime

state-corporate crime (Kramer and Michalowski)

When corporations and governments collaborate to engage in criminal activity in their collective interests. i.e. companies provide arms for governments.