Welcome to Global Crime and Deviance!
In this chapter, we are stepping outside of local "street crime" to look at the bigger picture. We will explore how our interconnected world creates new opportunities for criminals, how the environment is being harmed, and what happens when the very people who make the laws—governments—decide to break them. This is a vital part of Paper 3: Crime and Deviance.
Don't worry if these concepts feel huge at first. We will break them down into four simple areas: Globalisation, Green Crime, State Crime, and Human Rights.
1. Globalisation and Crime
Globalisation refers to the way the world is becoming more interconnected. Think about how easy it is to buy something from another country online or talk to someone on the other side of the world. While this is great for trade, it also creates a global criminal economy.
How Globalisation Changes Crime:
Because people, money, and information can move so easily across borders, crime has changed in several ways:
- New Types of Crime: We now see more cybercrime (identity theft or hacking), trafficking (of drugs, weapons, or people), and international terrorism.
- The "Global-Local" Link: Often, a crime might happen in a local neighborhood, but it is linked to a global network. For example, drugs sold on a UK street might have been produced in South America and shipped through Europe.
- Risk Consciousness: Globalisation makes us more aware of risks from abroad. We might feel more "at risk" from global threats like economic crashes or international crime rings than from local burglars.
Quick Review: Globalisation means crime is no longer "stuck" within one country's borders. It is fluid, fast, and often digital.
2. Green Crime
Green crime is crime committed against the environment. This is a "global" issue because the environment does not have borders. If one country pollutes the ocean, that pollution travels to other countries.
Two Ways to Look at Green Crime:
Sociologists usually look at green crime in two ways:
- Legal Definitions: Some only count acts that break actual laws (e.g., illegal dumping of toxic waste).
- Harm Definitions: Others (like Marxists) argue we should look at any action that harms the environment, even if it is technically "legal." For example, a massive company legally cutting down a rainforest still causes "green harm."
Examples of Green Crime:
- Air pollution and global warming.
- Deforestation (destroying forests).
- Water pollution (oil spills or dumping chemicals).
- Species decline and animal rights abuses.
Key Takeaway: Green crime is often committed by powerful Transnational Corporations (TNCs) because they want to save money and increase profit, even if it hurts the planet.
3. State Crime
This is often considered the most serious type of crime. State crime is "criminal" activity committed by, or on behalf of, governments.
Why is State Crime so Serious?
- The Scale of Harm: Governments have the power to hurt millions of people (e.g., through war or genocide).
- The State Makes the Laws: This is the tricky part! Since the state makes the laws, they can simply change the law to make their "crimes" legal. They can also hide their actions or avoid being punished by their own police and courts.
Examples of State Crime:
- Torture of prisoners.
- Genocide (trying to destroy a whole group of people).
- War crimes (killing civilians during a conflict).
- Corruption (stealing money from the country's citizens).
Did you know? Sociologists often describe the state as a "lawmaker and lawbreaker." They define what is illegal for us, but sometimes ignore those rules for themselves.
4. Human Rights
To understand state crime, we have to understand Human Rights. These are basic rights that every human being should have, regardless of which country they live in.
There are two main types of rights:
1. Natural Rights: The right to life, liberty, and freedom of speech.
2. Civil Rights: The right to vote, the right to a fair trial, and the right to education.
The Link Between Human Rights and State Crime:
If a government denies its citizens these rights (for example, by arresting people without a trial), they are committing a state crime. Many sociologists argue that we should define "crime" not just as breaking a law, but as any violation of basic human rights.
Memory Trick: Think of Human Rights as a "Global Moral Compass." When a state ignores the compass, they are entering the territory of state crime.
5. Summary and Exam Tips
Key Terms to Remember:
- Globalisation: The increasing interconnectedness of societies.
- Transnational: Something that happens across multiple countries.
- Green Criminology: The study of environmental crimes and harms.
- State-Organised Crime: Crimes committed by government officials.
Common Mistakes to Avoid:
- Thinking crime is only "local": In an exam, always mention how a crime might have global links (e.g., the internet or international trade).
- Only focusing on "legal" crimes: For green crime, remember to discuss "harm." Just because something is legal doesn't mean it isn't sociologically important!
- Forgetting the "Power" element: State crime and green crime are usually committed by powerful people or organisations (the elite), not the poor.
Quick Review Quiz:
1. Why does globalisation make it harder for police to catch criminals?
2. What is the difference between a "legal" and a "harm" definition of green crime?
3. Why is it difficult to prosecute a government for state crime?
(Hint: For question 1, think about borders; for 2, think about profit vs. the planet; for 3, think about who controls the courts!)