Crimes of the Powerful A Reader
“Crimes of the Powerful: A Reader” by Dave Whyte, published by McGraw-Hill Education in December 2008, offers a critical examination of crimes committed by state institutions and private corporations. This 280-page book addresses the often-overlooked aspects of criminology, challenging the notion that societal issues are primarily rooted in lower social strata. Through a selection of 45 extracts from key authors, the Reader introduces essential debates surrounding institutional crime, emphasizing the significant impact these crimes have on society.
Readers will find that the book is organized into several sections, including topics such as state violence, capitalism, and the relationship between law and corporations. Each section is prefaced with an original essay that contextualizes the readings and highlights their relevance in understanding the dynamics of power and crime. “Crimes of the Powerful” aims to provide students of criminology, sociology, politics, and international relations with new insights into the complex interplay between crime and institutional power, illustrating how the processes of criminalization are influenced by both state and corporate entities.
Official synopsis Publisher
Crimes of the powerful – the crimes committed by state institutions and private business organizations or corporations – are often overlooked by Criminology, or are treated at best as a mildly interesting diversion from the real business of crime and criminal justice. Indeed, academic Criminology in the main tends to reinforce the idea that the real problems of society can be located in the lower strata of society and is yet to come to terms with overwhelming evidence that crimes of the institutionally powerful kill, rip off and steal from more people than crimes committed by individuals.
This exciting Reader introduces debates on crimes of the powerful with a selection of 45 extracts from key authors. Each section of the book is introduced with an original essay to contextualize the readings and explain their importance for rethinking the relationship between crime and power.
The book is organised into the following sections:
- State, Violence and Crime
- Partners in Crime
- Capitalism and Crimes of the Powerful
- Law and the Corporation
- Explanations
- Definitions
- The Problem of Criminalization
If we are to fully understand the crimes of the powerful, it is crucial to recognise that the process of criminalisation is profoundly influenced by state institutions and corporations – and more importantly, by the relationship between them. The readings in this book show how their ability to both make and break the law remains a key source of power for those institutions.
Crimes of the Powerful explores how law and ‘crime’ provide a framework for configuring and reproducing social relations of power, in doing so, provides criminology, sociology, politics and international relations students with new insights into a subject of growing importance.
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