Globalisation & Crime

• Castells claims that there is now a ‘global criminal economy’ that is worth over $1 trillion a year.
• There are a number of different forms of globalised crime that exist: 
  • Cyber-crimes – crimes on the internet such as identity theft and hacking .
  • Green crimes – crimes against the environment.

• Arms trafficking:
  • Weapons being sold to terrorists and military groups.
• Smuggling of illegal immigrants:
  • Individuals or groups who charge large fees to desperate migrants in order to assist their entry into a new country. 

• Trafficking of women and children:
  • Often linked to prostitution or slavery. 
• Trafficking of body parts:
  • Transporting organs into rich countries.
  • It is estimated that 2,000 organs are taken from executed criminals in China.

• Beck discusses the emergence of an increasing ‘global risk consciousness’.
• Globalisation promotes insecurity as it continues to lead to vast changes around the world.

• Taylor claims that globalisation has led to an increase in crime.
• He believes that the inequality of capitalism is now increasing further due to how corporations use globalisation to their advantage.

• He argues this is due to transnational companies operating in countries where low wages can be paid and suggests that governments are easily influenced by large corporations.

1. Cyber-trespass:
   • Spreading viruses or hacking into other systems without permission.
2. Cyber-deception and theft:
   • Identity theft or stealing from bank accounts. 

3. Cyber-pornography:
   • The sharing and watching of child pornography. 
4. Cyber-violence:
   • Causing emotional harm or encouraging physical violence online. 

- Hobbs and Dunningham argue that due to technological developments such as the internet, individuals now have easy access to others around the world that will assist their criminal activity.

• They argue this creates ‘glocal’ crime, this is when global criminal economies begin to trade in local areas.
• For example, a global drug organisation recruiting local drug dealers to sell their illegal products.