State crime and human rights violations for Crime and Deviance

This worksheet covers the explanations put forward by sociologists to explain state crimes and human rights violations committed by governments as part of the crime and deviance topic for A Level Sociology. It begins by outlining what state crimes are followed by four types that can emerge. The definition of state crimes are explored including: Green’s view, Michalowski on zemiology, labelling theory, the view of international law and human rights. This is followed by explanations to understand state crime including: Adorno’s authoritarian personality, Hamilton’s features of obedience, Bauman on state crimes in modernity and Marxism on the capitalist state.