Globalisation and crime

What is globalisation? • Globalisation refers to the increasing interconnectedness of societies so that what happens in one locality is shaped by distant events in another and vice versa.

• Example

The spread of new media and information technology, in particular the internet and satellite TV The removal of trade barriers allowing companies to sell and manufacture goods in an increasing number of countries.

Mass migration

What is globalisation caused by?

The increase in transnational companies which market and manufacture goods globally

Mass tourism

Cheap international air travel

Examples of global crimes – (crimes that cross borders) • The trafficking of illegal drugs • Transporting illegal drugs across borders • Human-trafficking • Illegal movement and smuggling of people for a variety of purposes, ranging from the exploitation of women and children for prostitution, to forced labour and practices similar to slavery. • Money laundering • This is concerned with making money obtained illegally look like it came from legal sources

Examples of global crimes – (crimes that cross borders) • Cyber crime • Environmental crime

How has globalisation affected crime rates? • Taylor (1999) – Crime rates have increased as transnational companies increasingly switch production from the West abroad. • Why do you think many big companies chosen to do this? • Pay workers less • Fewer health and safety laws • Reduced trade restrictions • Tax break incentives • This has led to unemployment and poverty in many UK towns and cities and expanding inequalities which encourage crime.

How has globalisation affected crime rates? • Taylor - the global media encourages materialistic goals which places a strain on those who cannot achieve them legitimately to turn to crime.

• Workers in both developed and developing countries face increasing risks and insecurities and growing relative deprivation.

How has globalisation affected crime rates? • Young (2003) – Globalisation has increased crime rates - The global media encourages those in both developed and developing countries to value money and bombards people with the idea that owning the consumer goods associated with wealthy Western lifestyles will bring them ultimate happiness. • Many people have little chance of accessing these things legitimately and so turn to crime. • Society has become bulimic which encourages crime. Examples of global crimes which are carried out by gangs include drug dealing and trafficking and human trafficking.

How has globalisation affected crime rates? • Marxists argue that globalisation has led to more crimes against workers as transnational companies’ farm out (outsource) work to factories abroad and then fail to regulate the health and safety of workers. • Example - Rana Plaza Factory collapse in 2013 in Bangladesh • Nelken (2012) argues that powerful individuals or corporations can employ influential lawyers who redefine their crimes as mistakes or errors rather than deliberate attempts to break the law. • Transnational companies can also commit global crimes such as green crimes which are damaging to the global environment.

How has globalisation affected crime rates? • Brown et al (2014) argue the growth in new communication and media technologies such as the internet (which have contributed towards globalisation) have led to an increase in cybercrime.

• What is cybercrime? • Examples

But can we say with certainty that globalisation has really increased crime rates? • It is difficult since it is hard to know accurately how much crime there is on a local level in any given time frame let alone the extent of global crime.

• Why is it so hard to determine the extent of local and global crime? • Problems with the validity and reliability of official crime statistics • Give the secretive and complex nature of global crime it is a difficult area for sociologists to study. • Often requires specialist skills which sociologists do not have.

Why is it so hard to determine the extent of local and global crime? • Research on global crime may be dangerous. • Not all sociologists agree on how to define global crime

2)Has globalisation led to new types of crime emerging? • Again, there is some debate over this. • Some sociologists argue that globalisation has led to new types of crime emerging but the majority view is that globalisation has made it easier to commit pre-existing crimes more effectively. • Castells (2010) and Karofi and Mwanza (2006) – Globalisation has led to: • 1)New opportunities to commit pre existing crimes • 2)New types of crime emerging

Castells (2010) and Karofi and Mwanza (2006) Can you think of how globalisation may have made it easier to: • 1) Traffic illegal drugs A feature of globalisation is containerisation transportation of cargo in containers (that can be interchanged between ships, trains, and trucks). It is now easier for drugs gangs to transport illegal drugs to different countries in containers as there are fewer checks and controls in the EU. Port officials can also be bribed to ensure that certain containers are not checked. • 2) People traffic As above – example Tilbury docks 2014

Castells (2010) and Karofi and Mwanza (2006) • 3)Money laundering • Increased use of the internet makes it easier to transport ‘dirty’ money around to different accounts so its hard for law enforcement officers to track the source. Criminals can basically use their power to manipulate corrupt bank officials.

Has globalisation led to new types of crime emerging? (cont) • Chapman and Steel (2011)argue that new cyber crimes have developed out of the growth of the internet including: • Credit card fraud, • Identity theft and phishing • Politically motivated forms of crime.

*Ulrich Beck (1992)* • Argues that global crime has created a new set of insecurities and anxieties – global risk consciousness. People become more fearful of things like having their computers hit by viruses, having their identities stolen, of threats from illegal immigrants, terrorists, drug dealers and environmental crime. • This anxiety is fuelled by media scare stories, for example about the dangers of illegal immigrants and migrant workers which may fuel hate crime.

In conclusion • In conclusion it is clear that while new crimes have been made possible by globalisation the more significant feature of globalisation is that it has helped criminal gangs to commit pre-existing crime more effectively and has facilitated its growth and volume.

*Is it worth studying global crime?* • Yes because local crime and global crime are interconnected, eg local drug dealers rely on global drug traffickers to supply the illegal drugs and drug traffickers rely on local dealers to organize supply on a local level. • Crime rates in towns and cities in the UK are clearly influenced by how effectively global drug trade or trafficking gangs transport illegal drugs or people.

• Hobbs and Dunningham (1998) introduced the term ‘glocal’ to describe this interconnectivity between the local and the global with transnational crime really rooted in glocalities – local contexts with global links