Faculty of Social Sciences

School of Criminology, Politics & Social Policy

STATE CRIME
PUP305 CRN: 17376
2009-10
Lecture: Tuesdays 9.15am -11.15am in 17C26
Seminars: Tuesdays as indicated on WebCT

MODULE COORDINATOR

Dr. Cathy Gormley-Heenan

Room 3A16
Ext 66132 (external 028 90 366132)
Email: c.gormley@ulster.ac.uk

DISCLAIMER
Details of the module are set out in this module handbook. The University will use all reasonable
endeavours to deliver the course in accordance with the description set out. The University has to
manage in a way which is efficient and cost-effective, in the context of the provision of a diverse
range of courses to a large number of students. The University therefore reserves the right to make
variations in the content or method of delivery or assessment or other module changes if such action
is reasonably considered necessary by the University in the context of its wider purposes.

MODULE SPECIFICATION DETAILS

MODULE TITLE:

State Crime

MODULE CODE:

PUP305

CRN CODE:

17376

MODULE LEVEL:

CREDIT POINTS:

20

SEMESTER:

LOCATION:

Jordanstown

E-LEARNING

Web Supplemented

PREREQUISITE(S):

None

CO-REQUISITE(S):

None

MODULE CO-ORDINATOR:

Dr. Cathy GormleyHeenan

TEACHING STAFF:

Dr. Cathy Gormley-Heenan

HOURS:

Lectures and Seminar

36 Hours

Independent study
(including assessment)

164 Hours

Total Effort Hours

200 Hours

ACADEMIC SUBJECT:

Criminology and Criminal Justice

RATIONALE
Until recently, it had been argued that there was a general failure among criminologists to say
much about the notion of state crimes, with the emphasis focusing more sharply on the crimes of
the powerless rather than the powerful. That said, the concept of state crime, from the active
perpetration of harm to culpable failure to protect, has now become of growing interest within the
field of criminology despite the very controversial and difficult nature of the subject area. That the
state is now subject to academic critical interrogation is important, not least because of the
obvious irony that it is states and governments themselves which usually decide what is to be
considered criminal or otherwise. The rationale for this module is that students and the broader

public do not normally think of their states and the political leaders therein as criminal or deviant.
There module, seeks to stimulate debate and discussion around the question of state crime, its
parameters and the complexities therein.

AIMS
This module seeks to explore the definition and nature of state crime in criminological and
political discourse. It aims to develop a critical understanding of the nature of the state and the
scale and type of crimes committed by state agents and agencies; A range of state crimes will be
explored in both the domestic and international spheres. Terrorism, for example, while commonly
deployed to describe acts of violence directed against states is, also deployed by states
themselves against target populations. Other topics include genocide, torture, natural disasters,
political corruption, criminal policing, death while in detention, war crimes, state-corporate
deviance and state crimes against asylum seekers and refugees. The module will explore forms
of state crime as techniques of coercive governance and will use examples from both
democratic and authoritarian regimes.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
A successful student will be able to show that he/she can:

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING

K1

Identify the salient characteristics and activities that define state crime

K2

Recognise and interpret a range of theoretical accounts of state crime

K3

Apply their knowledge of theory and practice of state crime to a range of case studies from both
domestic and authoritarian regimes

INTELLECTUAL QUALITIES
I1
I2

Understand and apply increasingly complex theories and concepts and understand the
relationship between concepts and the real world
Analyse complex political arguments and demonstrate the ability to evaluate them

I3

Show a capacity to think independently and demonstrate good discretionary judgement

I4

Construct persuasive arguments and present them orally and in writing

PROFESSIONAL/PRACTICAL SKILLS
P1

Participate in academic discussion in a professional manner

P2

Plan and organise tasks within set time frames

TRANSFERABLE SKILLS
T1

Reflect critically upon their own learning and make use of feedback

T2

Demonstrate skills relating to the capacity for abstraction, deduction, critical analysis, systematic
retrieval of relevant materials, and reasoning

T3

Make proficient use (or organise use) of word processing

T4

Use standard library and information retrieval systems including the internet

T5

Demonstrate good written communication skills

CONTENT
Defining the State as Criminal - Corruption as State Crime - State-corporate Crime - Natural
Disasters as State Crime - Police Crime - Deaths in Custody and Detention - Organised Crime State Terror and Terrorism Torture Genocide - War Crimes - The Political Economy of State
Crime - Controlling State Crimes.

TEACHING AND LEARNING METHODS

In conjunction with the full variety of methods employed across the course, a range of teaching
methods are used which enable students to participate as fully as possible and which maximise the
breadth of their learning experience.
Lectures will be used to introduce the students to the core concepts and case studies under
consideration. An overview of each lecture will also be available on WebCT in written format. The
lectures will be interactive and will use, for example, an audience response system (ARS) to
improve attentiveness in class, help engage passive listeners in the class, improve knowledge
retention, and confirm the students understanding (or not) of key points almost immediately.
Seminars will be used for students to share their understandings of the concepts and case
studies and to present to their classmates an synopsis/overview of how the theoretical concepts
discussed in the lectures relate to the real world through the application of the theory to
contemporary news items. Practical exercises, such as role plays, will be used so that students
can practice and observe others practice their persuasive argument skills in relation to the case
studies.
Online discussion forums will be used to continue the debates and discussions around the
topics under consideration and to allow students to post links to relevant media stories which help
relate the lectures and seminars to the real world. Students will be expected to contribute at
least one postings per week to the online discussion forum. As such, the module is web
dependent.
In independent learning, students are expected to utilise the extensive range of learning resources
available within the University to contribute to their learning and assessment and to enable them to
acquire key and subject specific skills.

MODULE ASSESSMENT
The aim of all assessments is to give students the opportunity to review, consolidate and reflect on
their learning and to demonstrate the extent to which they have acquired knowledge, understanding
and skills. Hence, several modes of assessment are employed in this module. Formative
assessment involves course-based assessment work and accounts for 50% of the total marks
available for this module. It will give staff and students an early indication of their performance while
providing a foundation for the summative assessment in a sessional examination that accounts for
the remaining 50%. The overall assessment scheme is as follows:

Coursework 1: Essay
Students will be required to submit a 1750 - 2000 word essay (worth 30% of the total marks
available in the module) which will test your ability to understand and critique a range of sources
and to present complex arguments in a coherent and structured way. This assignment will assess
the following module learning outcomes: K1, K2, K3, I1, I4, T2, T3, T4, T5.
A full bibliography of all source materials used in compiling your work should be submitted. The
School will not tolerate plagiarism of another authors work or blatant copying from friends. Such
behaviour is outwith the spirit of scholarly activity, is an offence under the University's disciplinary
code, and could well constitute an infringement of copyright.
In all work, you MUST submit typed rather than hand-written material, as this is both visually easier
to read as well as providing good practice for subsequent work. Also, acquiring competence with the
keyboard is a key generic skill of any course. All work MUST be handed in on or before the deadline;
otherwise it will be assessed as 0%, unless extenuating circumstances can be demonstrated to your
COURSE DIRECTOR in advance. TWO copies of your work should be produced, ONE should be
submitted while you should RETAIN the other.

Coursework 2: Current Affairs Resources and Seminars

Students will be required to attend and participate in all seminar sessions (worth 20% of the
total marks available in the module). Marks will be awarded for individual participation, not
groups, on a weekly basis. There will, obviously, be a close correlation between a students
attendance record and the mark awarded for participation. In effect, if a student is absent from
class, marks cannot be awarded for participation. Each week, you must bring a newspaper to the
seminar with a clearly highlighted article related to that weeks topic. You should be able to
comment on how the piece relates to the topic of the previous lecture. Each article is worth 2% of the
marks 10 seminars in total making 20%. Students will be assessed on the quality of the material
that they bring to class each week from current affairs resources and their articulation of the
relevance of this material to the theories and concepts discussed in lectures. You are required to
submit a FULL hard copy of your seminar articles at the end of the semester and provide a written
commentary on each piece which will build on feedback given in the seminars. This hard copy is
needed for the external examiner to review. Failure to submit your material in hard copy invalidates
your seminar contributions and you will be awarded a mark of 0%. This assignment will assess the

following module learning outcomes: K3, I2, I3, I4, P1, P2, T1.

Examination
There is an end of term unseen examination comprising 8-10 questions of which students will be
expected to answer any 3 questions in a 3 hour period. The examination is worth 50% of marks
available on the module. The examination will measure the students achievement of learning
outcomes K1, K2, K3, I1, I2, I3, I4, T2, T5.

NB. Copies of past papers of exams can normally be consulted at the following website address:
http://library.ulster.ac.uk/exampapers/. However, for this module, this is the FIRST year of a newly
developed module and past paper examination questions are therefore not available on this site.
Sample questions will be circulated during the semester .
Assignments are marked according to general assessment criteria established within the Faculty of
Social Sciences. These are listed in the table overleaf.

FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

GUIDELINES FOR UNDERGRADUATE COURSES- QUALITATIVE WORK

CLASS

% RANGE

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA
[In exceptional circumstances a degree classification may be awarded where
individual criteria are only partially satisfied and for certain criteria
allowances will be made for examination conditions.]

70-100

- critical evaluation and synthesis of issues and material which includes an

original and reflective approach
- clear evidence of relevant applications and/or empirical results, where
applicable
- comprehensive knowledge and depth of understanding of principles and
concepts
- extensive evidence of reading supplementary sources (including
comprehensive referencing and bibliography)
- excellent, well-directed presentation, logically structured, using correct
grammar and spelling

II (1)

60-69

II (2)

50-59

- description of main issues and material (but no critical evaluation)

- occasional use of relevant applications and/or empirical results, where
applicable
- reasonable knowledge and understanding of principles and concepts
- limited evidence of reading supplementary sources (and adequate
referencing and bibliography)
- neat presentation, competently structured and acceptable grammar and
spelling

III

40-49

- description of main issues and material only

- no evidence or very limited evidence of relevant applications and/or
empirical results
- basic knowledge of key principles and concepts only
- evidence of basic reading only (and limited referencing)
- weak presentation and structure

Fail
[condonable
range]

35-39

omission of some relevant material

limited and/or inconsistent knowledge of key principles and concepts
evidence of minimal reading only (and inadequate referencing)
poor presentation, grammar and inadequate structure

Fail

0-34

insufficient and largely irrelevant material

little or no evidence of knowledge of key principles and concepts
little or no evidence of reading (and little or no referencing)
unacceptable presentation, grammar and structure

critical evaluation and synthesis of issues and material

evidence of relevant applications and/or empirical results, where applicable
wide knowledge and depth of understanding of principles and concepts
evidence of reading supplementary sources (including comprehensive
referencing and bibliography)
- good presentation, logically structured, using correct grammar and spelling

REFERENCING
Referencing and Bibliography
If you have used someone elses work in preparing your own work, it is important that you
acknowledge and record this in two places:
(a) Briefly within the body of your own work - this is a citation
(b) In more detail at the end of your work this is a reference
A bibliography is a collection of your references. In preparing your bibliography, it is essential that
you get into the routine of using a coherent reference schema. The preferred schema is that known
as the Harvard System.
A citation within the body of your text should contain the authors surname followed by the date their
work was published.
A reference (or a list of references) at the end of your work should contain:
* Authors name, i.e. surname followed by the first name.
* Title i.e. for books, the book title; for journals, the article title.
* Source of publication i.e. for books, the publisher; for journals, the journal title.
* Place of publication.
* Year of publication
A bibliography should contain any other information sources that you have used in your work in
helping to complete your assignment but from which you have not specifically referred to or quoted
within your work.
Citation, referencing and bibliography skills are important because they indicate that you have
undertaken research, that the work is yours and not that of other people, and it allows the reader to
follow up or check the sources of information that you have used.
In the Harvard system, within the text of your answer, you state the authors surname(s) with the year
of publication.

For example, Blogg (2008).

If you have used more than one piece of work by the same author, you should identify each
piece of work by adding lower case letters to the year of publication. For example, Bloggs
(2008a).
If there are two authors for a piece work, state both the names. For example, Smith and Bloggs
(2008).
If there are more than two authors for one piece of work, the first authors should be stated
followed by et al. For example, Bloggs et al (2008).
If the author is anonymous, you should use Anon. For example, Anon (2005).
If the date is approximate, you should use [ca.date]. For example, Smith [ca.1970].
If the date of the work is unknown, you should use [no date]. For example, Jones [no date].
Web addresses (URL addresses) should never appear in the body of your work use the
author/organisation. For example, BBC (2009).

Then, in the bibliography, provide full details of the sources you have used:
Books, Reports and Chapters in Edited Books or Reports:

Authors surname and initials

Year of Publication

Title (in italics)

Edition (if not the first edition)
Place of Publication
Publisher

Example with 1 author:

Bloggs J. (2009) Government Today, Cambridge: Big Publishing Ltd.
Example with 2 authors:
Bloggs J. and Smith G. (2007) Politics Yesterday, Oxford: Small Printers.
Example with 3 or more authors:
Bloggs J., Smith G. and Jones H. (2005) Governance Tomorrow, London: University Press.
Example with an editor:
Brown S. (ed.)(2008) Learning to Learn, Edinburgh: Scotia Publishers.
Example of chapter in edited book:
Smith L.,Teaching the hard way: An appraisal, in Brown P. (ed.)(2006) Essays on the future of
University, Cardiff: Welsh Publishers Ltd.
Articles in Journals:

Authors surname and initials

Year of Publication
Title of Article
Name of Journal (in italics)
Volume Number
Issue Number
P. for a single page; pp for a page range followed by the page numbers

Example:
Jones B. (2005) Lectures are fun, Journal of Education Studies Vol.34 No.3, pp.456-468.
Articles in Newspapers:

Authors surname and initials

Year of Publication
Title of Article
Name of Newspaper (in italics)
Date
P. for a single page; pp for a page range followed by the page numbers

Example:
Jones B. (2009) Lectures are great, The Times 4 August, p.3.
Articles on the Web:

Authors surname (this could be a person or an organisation) and initials

Year of Publication
Title of Article in italics, followed by [online], in square brackets
Place of Publication (if ascertainable)
Publisher (if ascertainable)
Available from: give the URL (i.e. the web address)

Cited, followed by the date you accessed the source in square brackets []

Example:
BBC (2009) BBC Northern Ireland News [online]. London:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/northernireland/ [cited 5 September 2009].

BBC.

Available

from:

Example for a book obtained online or an e-book:

Smith P. and Jones G. (2009) Politics Overseas [online]. London: Millenium Press. Available from:
http://www.millenium.co.uk/book/ [cited 5 September 2009].
Example for a report obtained online:
Understanding Britains Problem Annual Report of the Wise People (2007) Annual Report 2006-07
[online]. London: HM Treasury. Available from: http://www.hmtreasury.gov.uk/annual report of the
wise people/ [cited 5 September 2009].
Example for a journal article obtained online:
Bloggs S. (2007) Politics on the Web, Education Quarterly [online]. Vol.34 No.6, pp.56-59. Available
from: http://www.educationquarterly.org.uk/34.6/ [cited 5 September 2009].
Example for a newspaper article obtained online:
Bloggs S. (2007) Government on the Web, The Guardian [online]. 21 May, p.5. Available from:
http://www.guardianonline.co.uk/21may/ [cited 5 September 2009].

Appendices
Appendices (where applicable) should follow the list of references. This section should be preceded
by a list of appendices, giving the number and title of each. Appendices should include any primary
source material which you have used to write your assignment, but should not include published
documents unless essential.

FINDING RESOURCES
Wikipedia will not be accepted, in this module, as an acceptable source of referencing. Please take
some time to read Cohen, M (2008) Encyclopaedia Idiotica, Times Higher Education, 28 August.
http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=26&storycode=403327
Our library provides many good quality alternatives. Library reference works and encyclopaedias
are very good starting points for assignments - use them to obtain definitions of key terms, facts
and summary articles. Should you require some bespoke training in how to find online resources
for this module, this can be arranged with one of our subject librarians. Please contact me directly
for further details of this.

10

TEACHING AND THE LECTURE PROGRAMME

Teaching
There is one lecture and one seminar per week. To permit overrun and unforeseen circumstances,
the programme has 11 lectures in all. Each seminar will focus around a series of questions relating to
the lecture of the previous week but seminar tutors can vary this according to their preference.
However, flexibility is observed in the teaching style and the syllabus will be imparted according to
the needs of the group.
Lecture Programme

WEEK

LECTURE TOPIC

DATE OF CLASS

CLASSROOM

Week 1

Studying the Crimes of the State: An

Introduction

26 January 2010

17C26

Week 2

Defining State Crime

2 February 2010

17C26

Week 3

War, Aggression and State Crime

9 February 2010

17C26

Week 4

State Terror and Terrorism

(with Dr. Rachel Monaghan)

16 February 2010

17C26

Week 5

Genocide
(with Prof Paul Carmichael)

23 February 2010

17C26

Week 6

Torture

2 March 2010

17C26

Week 7

State-Corporate Crime
(with Dr. Kris Lasslett)

9 March 2010

17C26

Week 8

Government Corruption

16 March 2010

17C26

Week 9

Police Corruption

23 March 2010

17C26

*Coursework 1 due today

EASTER VACATION PERIOD

30 March & 6 April 2010

Week10

Victimology of State Crime

13 April 2010

17C26

Week 11

Domestic and International Controls of

State Crime

20 April 2010

17C26

Week 12

Conclusions, Revision and Examination

Preparation

27 April 2010

17C26

11

READING LIST

Required
*Coleman, R., Sim, J., Tombs, S., & Whyte, D. eds. (2009) State, Power, Crime. London: Sage.
*Green, P. & Ward, T. (2004) State Crime: Governments, Violence and Corruption. London:
Pluto.
Haveman, R. and Alette Smeulers (Eds.), (2009) Supranational Criminology: Towards a
Criminology of International Crimes, Antwerp: Intersentia.
Mullins, C. W. and Rothe, D.L. (2008) Power, Bedlam, and Bloodshed: State Crime in Postcolonial Africa. Peter Lang Publishing
Ross, J.I. (ed.). (2000). Varieties of State Crime and Its Control. Monsey, NJ: Criminal Justice
Press.
Whyte, D. (2009) Crimes of the Powerful: A Reader. Maidenhead: Open University Press.

Recommended Books
Barak, G. (ed.). (1991). Crimes by the capitalist state: An introduction to state criminality. Albany:
State University of New York Press.
Cohen, S. (2000) States of Denial: Knowing About Atrocities and Suffering. Cambridge: Polity
Press.
Friedrichs, D. (1998). State Crime. Vols. I, II. Aldershot, UK: Ashgate Publishing Ltd.
Gourevitch, P. (1999). We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will be Killed with Our
Families: Stories from Rwanda. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux.
Hayner, P. B. (2001). Unspeakable Truths: Confronting State Terror and Atrocity. New York and
London: Routledge.
Iadicola, P., and A. Shupe. (2003). Violence, Inequality, and Human Freedom. Rowman and
Littlefield: Boulder.
Kauzlarich, D. and Ronald Kramer (1998). Crimes of the American Nuclear State: At Home and
Abroad. Boston: Northeastern University Press.
Michalowski, R. and Ronald Kramer (2009). State-Corporate Crime: Wrongdoing At The
Intersection Of Business And Government. New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers University Press.
Pickering, S. (2005) Refugees and State Crime. Cullopton, Devon: Willan Publishing.
Ross, J. I. (2000). Varieties of State Crime and Its Control, Monsey, NY: Criminal Justice Press.
Ross, J.I. (1995). Controlling State Crime: An Introduction, New York: Garland Publishing.

12

Rothe, D.L. and Christopher W. Mullins. (2010). State Crime: Current Perspectives. Rutgers
University Press. Forthcoming.
Rothe, D.L. (2009). State Criminality: The Crime of All Crimes. Lexington/Roman and Littlefield.
Rothe, D and Christopher W. Mullins. (2006). The International Criminal Court: Symbolic
Gestures and the Generation of Global Social Control. Lexington Publishers.
Scraton, P. (ed). (2002) Beyond September 11th: An Anthology of Dissent. London: Pluto.
Stanley E. (2009) Torture, Truth and Justice: The Case of Timor-Leste London: Routledge.

Recommended Articles & Book Chapters

Chambliss, W. (1989). "State-organized crime". Criminology, 27, 183-208.
Cohen, S. (2002). Human Rights and Crimes of the State: The Culture of Denial in
Criminological Perspectives, 2nd Edition. (E. McLaughlin, J. Muncie and G. Hughes eds.).
London: Sage.
Friedrichs,D. (1981). "Violence and the Politics of Crime. Social Research 48: 135-156.
--, 1983. Victimology: A Consideration of the Radical Critique, Crime & Delinquency 29: 283294.
---, 1985. The Nuclear Arms Issue and the Field of Criminal Justice. The Justice Professional
1: 5-9.
---, 1990. Law in South Africa and the Legitimacy Crisis. International Journal of Comparative
and Applied Criminal Justice 14 (1990): 189-199.
---, The Crime of the Century? The Case for the Holocaust. Crime, Law & Social Change 34:
21-41.
--- and Jessica Friedrichs, 2002. The World Bank and Crimes of Globalization: A Case Study.
Social Justice 29: 13-36.
---, 2007. Transnational Crime and Global Criminology: Definitional, Typological and Contextual
Conundrums. Social Justice 34: 4-18.
David O. Friedrichs and Martin D. Schwartz, 2007. Editors Introduction: On Social Harm and a
Twenty-First Century Criminology. Crime, Law & Social Change 48: 1-7.

Green, P. (2005). Disaster by Design: Corruption, Construction and Catastrophe, British Journal
of Criminology 45, pp.528-546.
Iadacola, P. 2009. Violence of Empire. International Journal of Contemporary Sociology
Volume 46, No. 2.

13

_____. Globalization and Empire. 2008. in The International Journal of Social Inquiry, June,
Volume 1, No 2. Pp 3 - 37.
Jamieson, R. & McEvoy, K. (2005). State Crime by Proxy and Juridical Othering, British Journal
of Criminology, 45, pp.504-527.
Kauzlarich, D. Rick Matthews and David Kauzlarich State Crimes and State Harms: A Tale of
Two Definitional Frameworks. Crime, Law, and Social Change, 48: 43-55.
Kauzlarich, D. 2007. Seeing War as Criminal: Peace Activist Views and Critical Criminology.
Contemporary Justice Review 10(1), 67-85.
Kauzlarich, D. and Rick A. Matthews. 2006. Lakoffs Framing Theory and Teaching About the
Criminality of the U.S. War on Iraq. The Critical Criminologist. 16(1): 4-24.
Kauzlarich, D. Christopher Mullins, and Rick A. Matthews. 2003. A Complicity Continuum of
State Crime, Contemporary Justice Review. 6(3), pp. 241-254.
Kauzlarich, D. Rick A. Matthews, and William J. Miller. 2001.Toward A Victimology of State
Crime, Critical Criminology: An International Journal. 10(3), pp. 173-194.
Kauzlarich, D., R. Kramer and B. Smith. 1992. Toward the Study of Governmental Crime: Nuclear
Weapons, Foreign Intervention, and International Law. Humanity and Society, 16(4):543-563.
Kauzlarich, D. and R. Kramer. 1995. The Nuclear Terrorist State. Peace Review 7(3/4):333-337.
Kramer, R. The Supreme International Crime: How The U.S. War in Iraq Threatens the Rule of
Law. (With Raymond J. Michalowski and Dawn L. Rothe). Social Justice 32 (No. 2, 2005): 52-81
______War, Aggression, and State Crime: A Criminological Analysis of the Invasion and
Occupation of Iraq. (With Raymond J. Michalowski). British Journal of Criminology 45 (No. 4,
July, 2005): 446-469.
______The Illegal Invasion of Iraq. (With Edward Jayne). Parallax: The Journal of Ethics and
Globalization. (August, 2003).
______"The Origins and Development of the Concept and Theory of State-Corporate Crime." (With
Raymond J. Michalowski and David Kauzlarich.) Crime and Delinquency. 48 (Number 2, April
2002): 263-282.
_______"The Opinion of the International Court of Justice on the Use of Nuclear Weapons:
Implications for Criminology." (With David Kauzlarich.) Contemporary Justice Review 2 (1999):
395-413.
_______"The Nuclear Terrorist State." (With David Kauzlarich.) Peace Review 7 (1995): 333-337.
______"Exploring State Criminality: The Invasion of Panama." Journal of Criminal Justice and
Popular Culture 3 (No. 2, 1995): 43-52.
______"State Violence and Violent Crime." Peace Review 6 (No. 2, Summer, 1994): 171-175.

14

_______"State-Corporate Crime in the U.S. Nuclear Weapons Production Complex." (With David
Kauzlarich.) Journal of Human Justice 5 (No. 1, Autumn, 1993): 4-28.
_______"Toward the Study of Governmental Crime: Nuclear Weapons, Foreign Intervention, and
International Law." (With David Kauzlarich and Brian Smith.) Humanity and Society 16 (No. 4,
1992): 543-563.
______"Toward A Sociology of Nuclear Weapons." The Sociological Quarterly 26 (No. 3, 1985):
277-292.
McCulloch, J. & Pickering, S. (2005). Suppressing the Financing of Terrorism: Proliferating State
Crime, Eroding Censure and Extending Neo-colonialism, British Journal of Criminology, 45, pp.
470-486.
Mullins, C.W. and Dawn L. Rothe. 2008. Gold, Diamonds and Blood: International StateCorporate Crime in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Contemporary Justice Review. Vol.
11, No. 2: 81-99.
Mullins, C. and Dawn L Rothe. 2007. The Forgotten Ones. Critical Criminology. Vol. 15, No.2:
135-158.
Mullins, C W., Dave Kauzlarich and Dawn L. Rothe 2004. The International Criminal Court and
the Control of State Crime: Problems and Prospects. Critical Criminology: An International
Journal. Vol. 12, No. 3: 285-308.
Neubacher, F. (2006) How Can it Happen that Horrendous State Crimes are Perpetrated?,
Journal of International Criminal Justice, 4 (4), pp. 787-799.
Rhea, H. 2009. The United States and International Criminal Tribunals: An Historical Analysis,
ILSA Journal of International and Comparative Law 16, no. 1.
Rhea, H 2009. An International Criminal Tribunal for Iraq after the First Gulf War: What Should
Have Been, International Criminal Justice Review 19, no. 3.
_____ 2008. The Nuremberg Effect on Contemporary International Criminal Justice, Criminal
Justice Studies 21, no. 4: 361-72.
_____ 2007. Setting the Record Straight: Criminal Justice at Nuremberg, Journal of the Institute
of Justice and International Studies 7: 250-60.
Rhea, H. and Allan Y. Jiao, 2006. A Difference of Opinion between the United States and
Canada concerning the International Criminal Court, Journal of the Institute of Justice and
International Studies 6: 251-58.
Roche, D. (2005). Truth Commission Amnesties and the International Criminal Court, British
Journal of Criminology, 45, pp. 565-581.
Ross, J. and Dawn L. Rothe.2008 The Ironies of Controlling State Crime. International Journal
of Law, Crime, and Justice Vol.36, No.3: 196-210.
Ross, J.I. and Dawn L Rothe. 2007. Swimming Upstream Teaching State Crime to Students at
an American University. Journal of Criminal Justice Education. Vol. 18, No.3: 460-475.

15

Ross, J. I. What works When? Some preliminary thoughts on controlling the major state
criminogenic agencies in Democratic States, in Alex Schmid (ed.) Victims of Crime and Abuse of
Power. Festschrift in honour of Irene Melup.Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice,
2005. Translated into Spanish Mexican National Institute of Penal Sciences.
Ross, JI. Stumbling into State Crime, ACJS Today, Vol. 22, No. 2, May/June, 2002, pp. 8-10.
Ross, JI The State of State Crime Research, (with Gregg Barak, David Kauzlarich, Jeff Ferrell,
et al.) Humanity and Society, Vol. 23, No. 3, August, 1999, pp. 273281.
Ross, JI. Situating the Academic Study of Controlling State Crime, Crime, Law and Social
Change, Vol. 29, No. 4, December, 1998, pp. 331-340.
Rothe, D.L. and Christopher W. Mullins. 2010. The Death of State Sovereignty? An Empirical
Exploration. International Journal of Comparative and Applied Research. Forthcoming.
Rothe, D.L. and Jeffrey Ian Ross.2010. Private Military Contractors, Crime, and the Terrain of
Unaccountability Justice Quarterly. Vol. 26, 4:
Rothe, D.L. and Christopher W. Mullins. 2009. Toward a Criminology for International Criminal
Law: An Integrated Theory of International Criminal Violations. International Journal of
Comparative and Applied Criminal Justice. Vol. 3, 1: 97-118.
Rothe, D.L. and Christopher W. Mullins 2009. Building Justice After War: The Use of Multiple
Post-Conflict Justice Mechanisms Social Justice Vol. 35:3: 87-106.
Rothe, D. L., Christopher W. Mullins and Kent Sandstrom. 2009. The Rwandan Genocide:
International Finance Policies and Human Rights. Social Justice. Vol. 35, No. 3: 66-86.
Rothe, D.L, Jeffrey Ian Ross, Christopher W. Mullins, David Friedrichs, Gregg Barak, Ronald C.
Kramer, Dave Kauzlarich, and Raymond Michalowski. 2009. That Was Then, This is Now, What
About Tomorrow? Future Directions in State Crime Studies. Critical Criminology: An International
Journal. Vol. 17, No. 1: 3-13.
Rothe, D.L. 2009. Beyond the Law: The Reagan Administrations Dirty War on Nicaragua.
Critical Criminology: An International Journal. Vol. 17, No.1: 49-67.
Rothe, D.L, Ronald Kramer and Christopher W. Mullins. 2009. Torture, Impunity, and Open
Legal Spaces: Abu Ghraib and International Controls. Contemporary Justice Review. 12, 1: 2743.
Rothe, D.L. and Jeffrey Ian Ross. 2008. The Marginalization of State Crime. Journal of Critical
Sociology. Vol. 34, No. 5: 741-742
Rothe, D.L. and Jeffrey Ian Ross. 2007. Lights, Camera, State Crime Journal of Criminal Justice
and Popular Culture. Vol. 14, No. 4: 331-343.
Rothe, D.L. and Christopher W. Mullins. 2007. Darfur and the Politicalization of International
Law: Genocide or Crimes Against Humanity. Humanity and Society. Vol.31, No.1: 83-107.
Rothe, D.L. and Christopher W. Mullins. 2006. International Community: Legitimizing a Moral
Collective Consciousness Humanity and Society. Vol. 30, No.3: 254-276.

16

Rothe, D.L. and Christopher W. Mullins. 2006. The International Criminal Court and United State
Opposition". Crime Law and Social Change, Vol 45,3: 201-226
Rothe, D.L .and David Friedrichs 2006. The State of the Criminology of State Crime. Social
Justice. Vol. 33, No. 1: 147-161.
Rothe, D.L, Christopher W. Mullins, and Stephan Muzzatti 2006. Crime on the High Seas:
Crimes of Globalization and the Sinking of the Senegalese Ferry Le Joola. Critical Criminology:
an International Journal. Vol.14, 2: 159-180.
Rothe, D.L and Stephen Muzzatti 2004. Enemies Everywhere: Terrorism, Moral Panic, and US
Civil Society. Critical Criminology: An International Journal. Vol. 12, No. 3: 159-180.
Stanley E. 2008. Detention, Rights and Torture, Criminal Justice Matters, No 71, Spring Issue,
pp 14-15
Stanley, E. (2005). Truth Commissions and the Recognition of State Crime, British Journal of
Criminology, 45, pp. 582-597.
Stanley E. 2004. Torture, Silence and Recognition, Current Issues in Criminal Justice, Vol 16,
No 1, pp 5-25
Ward, T. (2005). State Crime in the Heart of Darkness, British Journal of Criminology, 45, pp.
434-445.
*Details of additional readings may be posted on WebCT during the course of the semester.
_____________________________________________________________________________

Key Journals
African Journal of Criminology and Justice Studies
British Journal of Criminology
Canadian Journal of Criminology and Criminal Justice
Criminology
Criminology and Public Policy
European Journal of Criminology
Howard Journal of Penal Reform
Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology
Punishment and Society
Theoretical Criminology
Western Criminology Review
Key Websites
American Society of Criminology
International organization concerned with criminology
Amnesty International
News and reports plus links to some full text documents.
British Society of Criminology
The leading British society with links to other important web sites.

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CrimeTheory.com
is a comprehensive criminological education resource with sections for Learning, Research &
Teaching of Theoretical Criminology.
StateWatch is an important source of information about state crime, human rights, espionage and
private profiteering.

TEACHING PLAN
WEEK ONE:

Studying the Crimes of the State: An Introduction

Neubacher, F. (2006) How Can it Happen That Horrendous State Crimes are Perpetrated? An
Overview of Criminological Theories, Journal of International Criminal Justice, 4 (4).
Haveman, R. and Alette Smeulers (Eds.), (2009) Supranational Criminology: Towards a
Criminology of International Crimes, Antwerp: Intersentia. Chapter 1.
Rothe, D.L. and Ross J.I., (2008) The Marginalization of State Crime in Introductory Textbooks
on Criminology, Critical Sociology 34(5) 741-752
Whyte, D. (2009) Crimes of the Powerful: A Reader. Maidenhead: Open University Press. See
the Introduction: Studying the Crimes of the Powerful, pp.1-4 and also Section 1: State, Violence,
Crime, pp.5-26.
Whyte, D. (2009) Crimes of the Powerful: A Reader. Maidenhead: Open University Press. See
Section 5: Explanations, pp.130-165.

Question for consideration: What types of activities might be classified as state crime? What are
some of the explanations offered for why state crime happens?

WEEK TWO:

Defining State Crimes

Whyte, D. (2009) Crimes of the Powerful: A Reader. Maidenhead: Open University press. See
Section 6: Definitions, pp.170--210.
Green, P. & Ward, T. (2004) State Crime: Governments. Violence and Corruption, London: Pluto.
See chapter 1: Defining the State As Criminal, pp. 1-10.
Matthews, R.A. & Kauzlarich, D. (2007), State crimes and state harms: a tale of two
definitional frameworks, Crime, Law and Social Change, 48, pp. 4355.
Kauzlarich, David, Mullins, Christopher and Matthews, Rick (2003)'A complicity continuum of
state crime * This paper was originally prepared for presentation at the 2000 annual meeting of
the American Society of Criminology, San Francisco.',Contemporary Justice Review,6 (3), pp.
241 254.
Rothe, D.L, Jeffrey Ian Ross, Christopher W. Mullins, David Friedrichs, Gregg Barak, Ronald C.
Kramer, Dave Kauzlarich, and Raymond Michalowski. 2009. That Was Then, This is Now, What
About Tomorrow? Future Directions in State Crime Studies. Critical Criminology: An International
Journal. Vol. 17, No. 1: 3-13.

18

Haveman, R. and Alette Smeulers (Eds.), (2009) Supranational Criminology: Towards a

Criminology of International Crimes, Antwerp: Intersentia. Chapter 2.

Questions for consideration: Can/should harmful activities of the state can be defined as crimes?
Why might criminology provide a useful framework to study state crimes?
WEEK THREE:

War, Aggression and State Crime

Green, P. & Ward, T. (2004) State Crime: Governments. Violence and Corruption. London: Pluto.
See chapter 9: War Crimes, pp. 147-164.
Ronals C Kramer & Raymond J Michalowski, War, Aggression and State Crime: A Criminological
Analysis of the Invasion and Occupation of Iraq, British Journal of Criminology, 45, pp.446-469.
Kauzlarich, David (2007) 'Seeing War as Criminal: Peace Activist
Views and Critical Criminology', Contemporary Justice Review, 10:1, 67 85
Tilly, C (2009) War Making and State Making as Organized Crime, in Whyte, D. (2009) Crimes
of the Powerful: A Reader. Maidenhead: Open University Press. pp.38-40.
Questions for consideration: Was the invasion of Iraq a war cime?

WEEK FOUR: State Terror and Terrorism

Green, P. & Ward, T. (2004) State Crime: Governments. Violence and Corruption. London: Pluto.
See chapter 7: State Terror and Terrorism, pp. 105-123.
Newburn, T. (2007) Criminology. Cullompton: Willan. See chapter 34: Globalisation, Terrorism
and Human Rights, pp. 868 877.
Herman, E. (2009), The Real Terror Network, in Whyte, D. (2009) Crimes of the Powerful: A
Reader. Maidenhead: Open University Press. pp. 178-182.
Questions for consideration: What are some of the main characteristics of state terrorism?

WEEK FIVE:

Genocide

Green, P. & Ward, T. (2004) State Crime: Governments. Violence and Corruption. London: Pluto.
See chapter 10: genocide. pp. 165 184.
Gourevitch, P. (1999). We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will be Killed with Our
Families: Stories from Rwanda. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux.
Woolford, A. (2006) Making genocide Unthinkable: Three Guidelines for a Critical Criminology of
Genocide, Critical Criminology, 14, pp. 87106.
Haveman, R. and Alette Smeulers (Eds.), (2009) Supranational Criminology: Towards a
Criminology of International Crimes, Antwerp: Intersentia. Chapter 6. & 9.

19

Questions for consideration: What is meant by the term genocide?

WEEK SIX:

Torture

Green, P. & Ward, T. (2004) State Crime: Governments. Violence and Corruption. London: Pluto.
See chapter 8: Torture, pp. 124 146.
MacKinnon, C. (2009) Are Women Human? And Other International Dialogues, in Whyte, D.
(2009) Crimes of the Powerful: A Reader. Maidenhead: Open University Press. pp.238-244.
Haveman, R. and Alette Smeulers (Eds.), (2009) Supranational Criminology: Towards a
Criminology of International Crimes, Antwerp: Intersentia. Chapter 11.

WEEK SEVEN:

State-Corporate Crime

Whyte, D. (2009) Crimes of the Powerful: A Reader. Maidenhead: Open University Press. See
Section 3: Capitalism and crimes of the powerful. Pp.61-93.
Green, P. & Ward, T. (2004) State Crime: Governments. Violence and Corruption. London: Pluto.
See Chapter 3: State Corporate Crime, pp. 28-51.
Whyte, D. (2003) Lethal Regulation: State-Corporate Crime and the United Kingdom
Government's New Mercenaries, Journal of Law and Society, 30 (4), pp.575 600.
Ronald C. Kramer, Raymond J. Michalowski and David Kauzlarich, (2002) The Origins and
Development of the Concept and Theory of State-Corporate Crime, Crime and Delinquency
Crime Delinquency 2002; 48; 263
Mullins, C. W. and Rothe, D. L.(2008) 'Gold, diamonds and blood: International state-corporate
crime in the Democratic Republic of the Congo', Contemporary Justice Review,11 (2), pp. 81
99.
Haveman, R. and Alette Smeulers (Eds.), (2009) Supranational Criminology: Towards a
Criminology of International Crimes, Antwerp: Intersentia. Chapter 3 & 8.
Questions for consideration: Why might industry have undue influence over government bodies
charged with overseeing the industry?

WEEK EIGHT Corruption and Government

Whyte, D. (2009) Crimes of the Powerful: A Reader. Maidenhead: Open University Press. See
Section 2: Partners in Crime, pp.28-60.
Green, P. & Ward, T. (2004) State Crime: Governments. Violence and Corruption. London: Pluto.
See Chapter 2: Corruption as State Crime, pp. 11-27.
Susan Rose-Ackerman, Corruption and Government, International peacekeeping, 15 (3), pp.328
- 343
Green, P. (2005). Disaster by Design: Corruption, Construction and Catastrophe, British Journal
of Criminology 45, pp.528-546.

20

Questions for consideration: What are some of the different forms of government corruption?
How prevalent is government corruption in strong states? In weak states?
WEEK NINE:

Police Crime

Scraton, P. (2004) Death on the Terraces: The Contexts and Injustices of the 1989 Hillsborough
Disaster, Soccer and Society, 5,(2), pp 183200.
Scraton, P. (2000) (2009 3rd Edn) Hillsborough: The Truth. Edinburgh: Mainstream
Scraton, P (1999) Policing with Contempt: the Degrading of Truth and Denial of Justice in the
Aftermath of the Hillsborough Disaster, Journal of Law and Society, 26 (3) pp. 273-297.

Questions for consideration: Why might tackling police crime be considered an uphill struggle?
WEEK TEN:

Victimology and State Crime

Faust, K.L. & Kauzlarich, D. (2008) Hurricane Katrina Victimization as a State Crime of
Omission, Critical Criminology, 16(2), pp. 85-103.
Kauzlarich, D. (2009) Victimisation and Supranational Criminology in Haveman, R. and Alette
Smeulers (Eds.), (2009) Supranational Criminology: Towards a Criminology of International
Crimes, Antwerp: Intersentia. pp. 435-453.
Kauzlarich, D. Rick A. Matthews, and William J. Miller. 2001.Toward A Victimology of State Crime,
Critical Criminology: An International Journal. 10(3), pp. 173-194.

Haveman, R. and Alette Smeulers (Eds.), (2009) Supranational Criminology: Towards a

Criminology of International Crimes, Antwerp: Intersentia. Chapter 10.

WEEK ELEVEN

Controlling State Crimes

Whyte, D. (2009) Crimes of the Powerful: A Reader. Maidenhead: Open University Press. See
Section 7: The Problem of Criminalization. pp.211 - 252.
Ross, J.I. & Rothe, D.L. (2008) Ironies of Controlling State Crime, International Journal of Law,
Crime and Justice, 36, pp.196210.
Hayner, P. B. (2001) Unspeakable Truths: Confronting State Terror and Atrocity. New York and
London: Routledge.
Mullins, C W., Dave Kauzlarich and Dawn L. Rothe 2004. The International Criminal Court and
the Control of State Crime: Problems and Prospects. Critical Criminology: An International
Journal. Vol. 12, No. 3: 285-308.
Roche, D. (2005) Truth Commission Amnesties and the International Criminal Court, British
Journal of Criminology, 45, pp. 565-581.

21

Rothe, D.L. and Christopher W. Mullins. 2006. The International Criminal Court and United State
Opposition". Crime Law and Social Change, Vol 45,3: 201-226
Stanley, E. (2005). Truth Commissions and the Recognition of State Crime, British Journal of
Criminology, 45, pp. 582-597.
Questions for consideration: What are some of the control mechanisms against state crime?
How effective are these considered to be?

WEEK TWELVE

Conclusions, Revision and Examination Preparation

NB** The examination will be held in the period immediately during mid May. If you have any
problems with the module at any stage, arrange to see me before the end of the teaching period
in Semester Two. I look forward to working with you all this semester!
Dr. Cathy Gormley-Heenan
January 2010

22

Coursework 1 Details

UNIVERSITY OF ULSTER
SCHOOL OF CRIMINOLOGY, POLITICS AND SOCIAL POLICY

MODULE:
SUBMISSION DATE:
EXAMINER:
ASSIGNMENT:

STATE CRIME
TUESDAY 23 MARCH 2010 (ie. WEEK 9 OF SEMESTER)
DR. CATHY GORMLEY-HEENAN
ESSAY

GUIDANCE NOTES FOR STUDENTS

Answer ONE of the following questions only.

Essays must be submitted with the appropriate proforma at the BEGINNING of the lecture
on 23 March 2009. You should complete the proforma before arriving at the lecture.

All essays must be submitted to Turnitin (JISC electronic plagiarism detection) by 4pm
on the day of submission. To do this go to WebCT for this module, click on assignment.
You will be given instructions from there on how to submit your assignment. Essays
which have not be submitted to Turnitin will automatically be given a mark of 0%.

You must keep an additional copy of the essay for yourself and retain the receipt from your
proforma after submitting the work.

Essays which exceed the word limit (2,000 words) will be penalised.

Essays must be typed/word processed using Times New Roman, font 12 and 1.5 line
spacing. Hand-written essays will not be accepted.

The Harvard Referencing System must be used and a bibliography must be provided.

Consult the marking criteria in the module handbook and proof read your essay prior to
submission.

Put your name, degree, essay title and word count on the front of your essay.

No extensions for coursework will be given unless there are extenuating circumstances. If
you are having difficulties with your submission and wish to seek an extension, you must discuss
this with your studies adviser at an early stage and before submitting an EC1 form to your Year
Tutor/Subject Director. Where necessary, medical evidence should be attached to EC1 forms.
Late submissions (i.e. where no extension has been granted) will not be marked.
Plagiarism, whether from another student or from a published text, will automatically attract a
penalty. Serious or extreme cases will be awarded a fail.

Marks
This assignment carries 30% of the marks on the module.

23

1. The study of human rights and state crime has been a marginal topic in
academic criminology. Discuss the reasons why this might be the case.
2. Are all violations of human rights state crimes? Use a legalistic framework
and/or moral framework to explain your answer.
3. The concept of terrorism might be best understood as a political label
rather than as a real phenomenon. Discuss.
4. Was the invasion of Iraq a war crime or not? Use international criminal
law and international humanitarian law to validate your claims.
5. Can torture be proscribed absolutely? Give examples to illustrate your
answer.
6. Are there any instances in which capital punishment can be justified? Give
examples to illustrate your answer.
7. It is argued that the definition of genocide, as articulated in the 1948
Genocide Convention, is so narrow that none of the mass killings
perpetrated since the treaty's adoption would fall under it. Discuss this
contention using a case study of your choice for illustration.
8. Corruption within government is as prevalent in strong states as it is in
weak states. Discuss.
9. What is meant by the term state-corporate crime? Illustrate your answer
using a case study of your choice.
10. What is the difference between the International Criminal Court (ICC) and
other international courts such as the international criminal tribunals and
the UNs International Court of Justice?

24