State Crimes Overview

Illegal or deviant activities committed by state agencies to advance state policies.

The state, as the law-making body, can define its own actions as not criminal, even if they violate international norms.

Acts that violate human rights, even if not explicitly defined as crimes by law.

A method used by states to justify their criminal actions by redefining them as something else.

Going beyond the legal definition of crime to consider violations of fundamental human rights.

State-sponsored acts that violate human rights, even if not defined as crimes by law.

The state's ability to manipulate legal definitions and international agreements to protect itself from accountability.

International agreements like the Geneva Conventions and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that protect human rights.

The basic rights that everyone is entitled to because of their shared humanity, regardless of their location.

A legal framework for defining and enforcing universal human rights, created by the United Nations in 1948.

The assessment of states based on their commitment to upholding human rights and their actions to prevent injustice, discrimination, and other human rights abuses.

A broader interpretation of human rights that includes basic social and economic rights, such as security, well-being, and subsistence, along with civil and political rights.

State actions or policies that cause widespread harm to individuals, including state-induced famine, denial of basic welfare services due to corruption, and other deliberate denials of basic human rights.

The systematic torture, disappearances, and mass murder of political opponents, as seen in the case of the Gaddafi regime in Libya.

The deliberate and widespread killing of members of a specific ethnic, national, or religious group, such as the Rwandan genocide.

The organized plunder of national resources by a ruling elite, as exemplified by the former Egyptian dictator Mubarak.

The use of assassination as an instrument of state power, such as the killing of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh by Israeli forces.

Illegal acts committed during wars, such as the deliberate targeting of civilians or prisoners of war, as seen in the Israel-Palestine conflict.

The state carrying out or supporting terrorist acts, as accused of Iran backing Shia militias in Iraq.

The systematic attempted genocide of European Jews by Hitler's Nazi regime, a grave example of state crimes.

A concentration camp established by the Nazi regime notorious for the large-scale murder of Jews during the Holocaust.

Acts of rogue individuals within state agencies, such as police officers abusing prisoners, that may lead to disciplinary action but are not considered state crimes.

A model that explains state crime as a product of the motivations of offenders, the opportunities to commit crimes, and the failure of control mechanisms.

A theory that emphasizes conformity to rules and state-enforced obedience, even when those rules and orders are morally questionable or downright criminal.

This involves the state portraying its actions as legitimate and authorized by official policy, fostering a sense that the actions are sanctioned and supported by the state.

This refers to the state's tendency to dehumanize or marginalize certain groups, portraying them as subhuman or less worthy of protection. This can lead to discrimination, atrocities, and even genocide.

This involves the normalization of violent and potentially immoral actions by making them routine and detached from any personal moral reflection. This can happen through the creation of 'enclaves of barbarism', where violence is encouraged and rewarded.

Places or situations where state violence is encouraged and rewarded, allowing perpetrators to act violently in a controlled environment and then return to normal society.

This suggests that when state actors engage in criminal behavior, they often relabel or justify their actions to deny responsibility or portray them as acceptable, like claiming that torture is necessary to prevent terrorism.

The concept of a hidden amount of criminal activity that goes unreported and undetected, often attributed to the difficulty in uncovering state crimes due to secrecy and denial.

The belief that an individual is subject to the laws and legal processes of the state they live in, and that they are entitled to certain fundamental rights guaranteed by those laws.

A model that explains state crime as a product of the motivations of offenders, the opportunities to commit crimes, and the failure of control mechanisms.

A theory that emphasizes conformity to rules and state-enforced obedience, even when those rules and orders are morally questionable or downright criminal.

This involves the state portraying its actions as legitimate and authorized by official policy, fostering a sense that the actions are sanctioned and supported by the state.

This refers to the state's tendency to dehumanize or marginalize certain groups, portraying them as subhuman or less worthy of protection. This can lead to discrimination, atrocities, and even genocide.

This involves the normalization of violent and potentially immoral actions by making them routine and detached from any personal moral reflection. This can happen through the creation of 'enclaves of barbarism', where violence is encouraged and rewarded.