After this course:

• the student has knowledge and understanding of the different types of the crimes of the powerful, including state, corporate and white collar crimes, environmental crimes and harms, their nature and the motivations of actors involved.
• the student has gained insights into specific forms of these crimes, including genocide, war crimes, state violence, political corruption, safety crimes, fraud, tax evasion and financial crimes.
• the student has knowledge of the main theories in the field of green criminology, with concrete insights into some specific forms of eco-crime.
• the student is able to analyze and critically reflect on the different approaches to tackle, respond, control or punish different crimes of the powerful.
• the student is able to present the outcome of research on the topic in the form of a written paper.
• the student is able to present the outcome of research on the topic in the form of an oral presentation.

There is a growing concern about the crimes of the powerful (Pearce, 1976), i.e. crimes and harmful acts committed by people of high social status for personal or organizational gain. Despite it is widely accepted that these crimes and harms inflicted by ‘trusted criminals’ produce by far the highest and most insidious levels of victimization – in terms of number of fatalities, injuries, illnesses and economic losses – criminology still devotes 5% of its time writing, researching and teaching on the crimes of the powerful (McGurrin et al., 2013). After an introduction that will serve as theoretical framework, the course will first explore different crimes and harms perpetrated by state officials (state crime), including genocide, war crimes, state violence and terror, and political corruption. A second module will focus on the crimes committed by legitimate entrepreneurs and organizations (white collar and corporate crime) and particularly by large corporations, reviewing the explanatory theories at micro and macro level, crime and harm typologies, and the extent and nature of victimization. Three relevant types of corporate crime will be discussed in detail: safety crimes, corporate fraud and tax evasion. Before moving into the field of environmental crimes, some complex and growing forms of power crimes will be presented. Although hardly criminalized, we will look at recent forms of state-corporate crimes, crimes of globalization, and financial crimes. A third module will specifically address the relatively new, growing field of green (eco-global) criminology, presenting the main definitions and theories to explain eco-crime and the most common forms of transnational environmental crime and harm. Three forms of eco-crime will be particularly touched upon: waste and pollution, natural resource exploitation in the Global South, and food crime. Finally, the course will engage in discussing the main responses to tackle the crimes of the powerful at national and international levels.
 
Provisional 9 lectures:
1. Crimes of the powerful: an introduction
2. State crimes: genocide, war crimes and state violence
3. State crimes: political corruption
4. White collar and corporate crimes: theories, types and impact
5. White collar and corporate crimes: safety crimes, fraud and tax evasion
6. State-corporate crimes, crimes of globalization and financial crimes
7. Green crimes: theories and types
8: Green crimes: waste and pollution, natural resource exploitation, and food crime
9: Tackling the crimes of the powerful: justice, regulation and remedies
 

• Compulsory in Master Criminology, track Global Crime.