This page gathers together links that explain some of the key crtical criminonolgy/socioclogical and politcal concepts and theories that carops up in my writing.
Social harm and a more detailed explaination here
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
Not a criminology concept, but it has come under crtical criminology analysis in recent years as it is an obvious a ploy to distract from corporate criminology while belaying activist and consumer fears in the industrialised countries. It is a tool that operates much as, according to Marx, the first factory labour laws in 19th century England did: to sustain capital rather than to eleviate the hardships generated.
Transnational capitalist class
The theory that a new class has emerged in the era of “globalisation” made up of global elites, their support structure and local elites that guide, sustain and benefit financially from the modern capitlaist world order.
The state as policeman (Gramsci)
This is the idea questions the mainstream view that the state is seen as a policeman regulating actors in society in a dialectic relationship. Rather than seeing it as a symbiotic relationship that recognises that the state created regulation/law to sustain capital not to oppose it.
State Fractions (Poulantzas 2000:129)
The state is a complex entity and this theory recognises the many elements of the state and the current social relations that shape it. What we could call the class war against the elite and non-elite sectors, and the internal struggles fought out among competing fractions to shape their class interests. In the case of the latter, the 2018 U.S presidential election endows us with a perfect example of this internal fractional struggle. The competition between Trump, a member of the real estate fraction backed with capital from the libertarian right, versus a Democrat fraction, the Clintonites, who can call on the finance sector for the majority of support.
While a simplified explanation it gives some insight into of how different fractions take power in competition but also can be very closely connected. For example both groups can count on financial backing from information technology interests and the military industrial complex while commentators often link real estate and finance into the same category as the FIRE, (finance, insurance and real estate) sector.
Further reading to follow and an article to read on Poulantzas.
Neoliberalism:
A mix between 19th century laissez-faire, pro-business government, and Keynes, welfare-surveillance state capitalism. But with this new model the welfare aspect of the Keynes state is restricted to corporate subsidy while the surveillance of citizens is now confined to protecting capitals right to reproduce itself. In other words: contain resistance to capitalism.
Positivism:
A method of investigation that is based on rigourous scientific data. A methodology that is severley flawed due to this as it allows for no subjective reasoning and has been within mainstream criminology to reinforce elite views of the poor while excluding crimes of teh powerful
Regimes of permission
Crimes of the powerful
State corporate crime
State crime
White-collar crime
Re-reguation
Drug trafficking organisations (DTO)
Transnational organised crime (TOC)
Stories of Resistance: México, neoliberalism & the war on drugs. 