Crimes of the powerful

In this unit, you will examine crimes and social harms committed by state, corporate, and other elite actors. You will interrogate conceptual models for making sense of criminal and harmful behaviours on the part of these actors, ranging from crimes of aggression and war profiteering to police killings, environmental crime, violations of workplace safety, fraud and embezzlement. In doing so, you will be equipped to locate the nexus of power that makes these crimes and harmful behaviours possible. You will also consider how legal institutions, civil society, people’s movements, and trade unions respond to the behaviours in question. 

Key questions will include:

• What is the extent of crimes of the powerful, and what are their impacts?
• How do we determine intent and culpability where the behaviours of powerful agents are criminal or cause  social harm?
• How are these behaviours policed or regulated and prosecuted?
• How do people resist, challenge, and try to change criminal and harmful behaviours on the part of powerful actors?