Human Rights and State Crimes Flashcards Preview

Crime and Deviance - Sociology AQA > Human Rights and State Crimes > Flashcards

Flashcards in Human Rights and State Crimes Deck (12)
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1
Q

state crimes

A

illegal activities committed by state agencies to further state policies

2
Q

state crimes - problems defining

A

state defines what a crime is so can avoid, disguise or justify their offences

3
Q

state crimes - transgressive approach

A

green & ward

state crimes should be seen as violations of human rights rather than law-breaking

4
Q

state crimes - human rights

A

humanity entitles everyone to the same fair and just treatment
united nations universal declaration of human rights enforce universal human rights
has become social norms globally

5
Q

state crimes - examples

A
  • torture and illegal treatment/punishment of citizens (CIA illegal torture to interrogate after 9/11)
  • corruption (ruling elites take national resources illegally)
  • assassination (mahmoud al-mabhouh; palestenian commander was on israeli hit list)
  • war crimes (illegal acts committed during wars, israel-palestine conflict)
  • genocide (elimination by mass murder, rwandan; 1 million tutsi killed by hutu 1994)
  • state-sponsored terrorism (iran supported shia militants in iraq)
6
Q

state crimes - integrated theory

A

state crime arises from similar circumstances to other crimes
motivation of offenders, opportunities to commit crime & failure of control generate state crime

7
Q

state crimes - crimes of obedience model

A
milgram:
state encourages conformity & obedience to the who carry out state-backed systematic human right abuses 
- authorisation
- dehumanisation
- routinisation
8
Q

state crimes - crimes of obedience model; authorisation

A

making it clear to the individuals they are supported by state authority

9
Q

state crimes - crimes of obedience model; dehumanisation

A

sub-human species (socially-excluded marginalised minorities) are stripped from human rights
normal rules of civilised behaviour do not apply

10
Q

state crimes - crimes of obedience model; routinisation

A

enclaves of barbarism:
state violence is encouraged to become a regular routine
performed in a detached way that denies perpetrators the opportunity to start questioning and leave

11
Q

state crimes - techniques of neutralisation

A

sites create excuses & justify their actions by relabelling crime as a means that is necessary for national security

12
Q

state crimes - problems researching state crime

A
  • dark figure of hidden state crimes lead to lack of official statistics/victim survey
  • state agencies control/cover up states criminal activity
  • media reports focus on developing countries than western countries
  • state prevent sociologists doing research by refusing funding, threats, deny access to official documents