Crimes of the Powerful: An Introduction

287 Pages·2016·2.955 MB·English

by  Dawn Rothe, David Kauzlarich

The field of criminology has always focused principally upon the crimes of the powerless.There is overwhelming
evidence that far more harm is associated with the crimes of the powerful.This book is to my knowledge the very
first textbook that systematically addresses the crimes of the powerful.The authors are long-standing and highly-
regarded criminological students of the crimes of the powerful.They have here produced a comprehensive survey
of what contemporary criminology and criminal justice students need to know about such crimes.All reputable
criminology and criminal justice programs should offer a course on crimes of the powerful, if they do not already
do so.Instructors of such a course make a wise choice if they choose to assign this accessible, provocative
textbook.It addresses the most consequential types of crimes, and initiatives to control such crimes.
David O. Friedrichs, Distinguished Professor, Department of Sociology, Criminal Justice and Criminology,
University of Scranton, USA
Confronting the powerful is confronting—especially when the crimes, harms, threats and risks produced by the
powerful are seen as simply a “natural” part of everyday life. This book challenges this status quo by exposing the
crimes of the powerful to systematic critical scrutiny, thereby demonstrating that these elite activities far outweigh
conventional crimes in their damaging social, economic and ecological impacts. The entrenchment of general
misery is socially constructed by the powerful, in the interests of the powerful. This book explains why this is the
case, and what can be done about it. A must read.
Rob White, Professor of Criminology, University of Tasmania, Australia
Theoretically astute, empirically rich, global in scope and always student-oriented, this passionate yet considered
text is a significant contribution for those who seek to mainstream the crimes of the powerful in the teaching and
learning of criminology. This is not just a superb book about power and the powerful—but represents a
thoroughgoing challenge to them.
Steve Tombs, Professor, Head of Social Policy and Criminology at the Open University and Director of the
International Centre for Comparative Criminological Research, UK
This outstanding book shines a bright light into the dark area of the crimes of the powerful, a darkness that too
few criminology and criminal justice students ever get to explore. Rothe and Kauzlarich do an excellent job of
introducing students to the study of the criminal acts of the powerful, illuminating a form of criminality that
inflicts the most harm and fills the world with death and devastation, misery, and want.
Ronald C. Kramer, Professor of Sociology, Western Michigan University, USA
Rothe and Kauzlarich provide a thorough and meticulous guide to the “Crimes of the Powerful.” Unlike many
textbooks this is an impassioned and engaging introduction. A “must have” text for any criminology student!
Simon Pemberton, Birmingham Fellow, School of Social Policy, University of Birmingham, UK
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Crimes of the Powerful
As politicians and the media perpetuate the stereotype of the “common criminal,” crimes committed by the
powerful remain for the most part invisible, or are reframed as a “bad decision” or a “rare mistake.” This is a topic
that remains marginalized within the field of criminology and criminal justice, yet crimes of the powerful cause
more harm, perpetuate more inequalities, and result in more victimization than street crimes.
Crimes of the Powerful: An introduction is the first textbook to bring together and show the symbiotic
relationships between the related fields of state crime, white-collar crime, corporate crime, financial crime,
organized crime, and environmental crime. Dawn L. Rothe and David Kauzlarich introduce the many types of
crimes, methodological issues associated with research, theoretical relevance, and issues surrounding regulations
and social controls for crimes of the powerful. Themes covered include:
• media, culture, and the Hollywoodization of crimes of the powerful;
• theoretical understanding and the study of the crimes of the powerful;
• a typology of crimes of the powerful with examples and case studies;
• victims of the crimes of the powerful;
• the regulation and resistance of elite crime.
An ideal introductory text for both undergraduate and postgraduate students taking modules on the crimes of the
powerful, white-collar crime, state crime, and green criminology, this text includes chapter summaries, activities
and discussion questions, and lists of additional resources including films, websites, and additional readings.
Dawn L. Rothe is Professor of Criminology at Old Dominion University, USA, the Director of the International
State Crime Research Center, and of the PhD in Criminology Program at Old Dominion University. She is the
author or co-author of eight books and over seven dozen peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, some of which
have been reproduced and translated into Italian, Spanish, and Chinese. She has formerly served as Chair of the
American Society of Criminology Division of Critical Criminology.
David Kauzlarich is Professor of Sociology at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, USA, and Editor-in-
Chief of Critical Criminology: An International Journal. He is widely published in the areas of state crime,
criminological theory, and resistance to crimes of the powerful.
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Global Issues in Crime and Justice
1. Women, Crime and Criminal Justice
A global enquiry
Rosemary Barberet
2. Global Human Trafficking
Critical issues and contexts
Edited by Molly Dragiewicz
3. Critical Issues on Violence against Women
International perspectives and promising strategies
Edited by Holly Johnson, Bonnie S. Fisher and Véronique Jaquier
4. Global Injustice and Crime Control
Wendy Laverick
5. Crimes of the Powerful
An introduction
Dawn L. Rothe and David Kauzlarich
4
Crimes of the Powerful
An introduction
Dawn L. Rothe and David Kauzlarich
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First published 2016
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2016 Dawn L. Rothe and David Kauzlarich
The right of Dawn L. Rothe and David Kauzlarich to be identified as authors of this work has been asserted by
them in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any
electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording,
or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for
identification and explanation without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloguing in Publication Data
Rothe, Dawn, 1961– author. | Kauzlarich, David, author. Title: Crimes of the powerful: an introduction / Dawn
L. Rothe and David Kauzlarich. Description: Abingdon, Oxon; New York, NY: Routledge, 2016. | Series: Global
issues in crime and justice; 5 | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2015041076 |
ISBN 9781138797932 (hardback) | ISBN 9781138797949 (pbk.) | ISBN 9781315756776 (ebook) Subjects:
LCSH: State crimes. | Commercial crimes. | Criminology–Political aspects. Classification: LCC HV6251.6.R67
2016 | DDC 364.1–dc23 LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015041076
ISBN: 978-1-138-79793-2 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-138-79794-9 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-75677-6 (ebk)
Typeset in Times New Roman
by Out of House Publishing
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Contents
List of illustrations
List of tables
A reflexive preamble
Preface
PART I
The foundations
1 An introduction to crimes of the powerful
2 Media, culture, and crimes of the powerful: Everyday life: how we come to know about crimes of the
powerful
3 Studying the crimes of the powerful: Researching crimes of the powerful
4 Theoretical understandings of crimes of the powerful
5 The symbiotic nature of crimes of the powerful
PART II
Types of crimes of the powerful
6 Corporate crime
7 State crime
8 State-corporate crime
9 Power, organized crime networks, and the elite
10 Crimes of international financial institutions
11 Victims of crimes of the powerful
PART III
The master’s tools and beyond
12 Regulating crimes of the powerful
13 A counterview: law as violence and facilitator of crimes of the powerful
14 Conclusion
Index
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Illustrations
Figures
1.1 The two main types of white-collar crime
1.2 Varieties of white-collar crime
1.3 State, corporate, and international relationships
1.4 Neoliberal capitalism and crimes of the powerful
4.1 Levels of analysis
4.2 Levels of analysis and relationships
4.3 Relationships within levels of analysis
5.1 Fundamental social and political relationships
10.1 Development terms
Images
9.1 A scene from The Godfather
11.1 Austerity for some: power and capital
12.1 Who gets labeled criminal?
14.1 Pacification through education
14.2 Electronic waste in Accra, Ghana
Every effort has been made to identify, and make an appropriate citation to, the original sources. If there have
been any accidental errors, or omissions, we apologize to those concerned.
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Tables
2.1 Top Twitter trends (past 30 days) as of December 26, 2014
6.1 The top 50 of the 147 corporations
6.2 Monsanto’s federal lobbying expenditures, 2008–2013
6.3 Overall top spenders for lobbying in 2014
7.1 Known US drone strikes between 2002 and August 2014
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A reflexive preamble
We are often asked what brings our passion and academic pursuit to crimes of the powerful and so we decided it
was time for a full disclosure, to break the chains of academic correctness. Neither of us is a fan or believer, if you
will, in the dogmatic doctrine of positivist epistemology, where the researcher offers a presumably value-free and
objective analysis. Contrary to this, we choose to commit positivistic blasphemy: to reject our science’s delusional
notions that we can somehow objectively understand phenomena by leaving behind our own life experiences,
knowledge, biases, values, and worldviews. We also reject the notion that private should not be public, as it is only
by being honest and open about our own oppression, challenges, joys, and pains that we can cast off our self-
imposed chains of silence and conformity by resisting and rejecting an oppressive system of self-censorship. As
such, we are proud of who we are and where we come from.
Studying crimes of the powerful is, to us, an outcome of living within the lower stratus of a system of unequal
power relations, domination, and subjugation where dominant “knowledge” and “truths” dictate our self-
definitions and attempt to define our life trajectories. “Get a job, get married, work hard, be satisfied of being
nothing.” We are a proud part of the lower working class, having watched both of our dads struggle to make a
living and provide for us by working swing shifts in a steel mill and a glass factory in the Midwest, as their bodies
endured the havoc of the corporate entity that exploited their labor, health, and overall well-being for profit.
Dawn’s father bears the scars of hundreds of pieces of steel shrapnel to this day, his skin bleeding upon touch. He
has lived through experiences of the steel mill furnaces exploding, casting rockets of molten steel in every direction
and injuring his foot, though he continued to work through the rest of his shift, only then going to a hospital and
undergoing massive skin grafting. Dave’s father lost three fingers and much of his hearing at work. His great-
grandfather fell to the ongoing threat of black lung disease that so many miners across the globe continue to
experience and, as a result of which, their families continue to deal with their loss.
Upon “adulthood” (defined loosely), we ventured out into this same world of our parents, holding our pride,
willingly giving our labor, tears, and bodies to the powerful. Between us both, we have worked as a waitress,
bartender, bouncer, and factory and warehouse laborer, sometimes holding down two or three jobs at a time and
not as a means to get us through school, but to provide for ourselves and our children. Yet, we dreamed of more
with an insatiable appetite to understand life, the meaning of being in this “game,” and thinking there had to be
more to living than working to live. We are lucky today, we sit in privileged positions. However, we cannot ever
let go of where we come from, of our struggles, our pain, our joy, and our tears, nor assimilate fully into this
academic tower, and nor would we want to. As such, we have dedicated years to studying, exposing, and teaching
about the crimes of the powerful, continuing the practice of our mentors and theirs by pushing the boundaries of
“acceptable” criminological inquiry.
After all, the “truth” and “knowledge” of the working class is reified within the broader system from education
to politics; moreover, it continues to be used, misused, and abused, as if the term “working class” is now some
acceptable cliché. Moreover, this is reproduced even within criminology, reinforcing our belief in bringing a
critical perspective to our research as well as leaving behind the orthodox tradition of seeing crime, criminals, and
victimization linked to the lower classes. After all, how many studies can predict the likelihood of someone
committing some form of street crime on the basis of their education, class, or sex, while generally going by
abstract, imputed statistics? This myopic view not only reduces human agency and value, but serves to legitimize
and valorize the dysfunctional system that facilitates and authorizes the violence and harms of the powerful.
We are also tired of being told that our stories are inspiring, of people wanting to hold up our lives as examples.
We are not symbols or tools to be used to legitimate a system that reifies the very power relations and domination
that we grew up with and lived with for many years in our adult lives. We do not want to be a part of the “chess
board” or be a poster child for the hyper-individualized lifestyle within this neoliberal capitalistic system that is
dysfunctional for the many. We refuse to be a part of, or be used to promote, the dogma of the “American ethos,”
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