Globalization and capital as factors in increasing crime: a sociological examination

Sociology of Crime

It was argued by Greek historian, Herodotus, that there are no universal ethics and that all ethical systems were somehow relative to factors concerning the population (Ishay, 2008). The historian argued that different cultures had different perceptions about what is acceptable behavior and what constituted the moral norms in the societies. Herodotus illustrates this argument by comparing burial rituals that were used by two different cultures -- one culture used a cremation ritual while the other used a cannibalistic practice. The same argument could also be extended to the sociology of crime -- different societies place different values on behaviors in a criminal justice system.

Globalization is steadily working to change the environment in which crime can be committed. When Herodotus was alive up until the recent present, most crimes were limited to a geographic area. However, with the rapid development of technology and communications, people and organizations can have greater influence beyond boarders; which includes those who wish to commit crimes. For example, the Isis organization would most likely not have existed without support from western powers and their regional allies; this support also facilitated the travel of jihadis from 80 countries into Syria, funded them, and then trained and armed them (Banisadr, 2014). Terrorist organizations are just one example however and other examples include groups such as international drug traffickers, human trafficking, and even international black market art groups. This analysis will provide a brief discussion of how globalization is affecting new generations of crime.

Globalization and Crime

Scholarly research reveals strong correlations between the perpetrator's criminal conduct, generic criminal laws, the proper role of penal law in public policy, and the critical analysis of penal law however these relationships cannot be understood outside its social context (physical space, institutional process, patterns of relationships and individual variation): crime's existence and representation at a global level argues for the unity and generalization of social problems (Ristea, 2011). Therefore, there are multiple levels in which crime can be thought of and put in a global perspective. The impact that globalization has had in the social sphere extends into the world of crime.

The sociological approach to studying crime takes the perspective that considers deviance relative to cultural norms and how these norms evolve over time. The impact of globalization on cultural norms has applied a powerful effect on how these factors interlace. One study looked at a fifteen year period in Mumbai and examined how political reforms throughout this period worked to empower local crime syndicates with global connections (Weinstein, 2008). The study was able to identify a connection to the macroeconomic policies that India instituted and the black market activities that were fueled by such policies. When international investment began to drive up land prices in the region, the local Mumbai mafia began to invest in local property development projects to profit from this trend. This serves as a prime example of how factors related to globalization can create a new sociological environment that creates new opportunities for different criminal groups.

However, the effects of globalization have also created many barriers that prevent researchers from creating a clear picture of exactly what is going on in various groups. Crimes that are more opaque or occur on broad scales can be difficult to study. As such, geographers of crime are behind other research efforts in the field and most of the research that has been conducted so far is focused on crime on a national or regional level (Hall, 2012). Some researchers have noted that there are generally relationships between the illicit and licit economic and political policies are instituted which can open up a potential research focus that can study criminal activities on a more global scale and actually add an element of geography to these research efforts. For example, it might be possible to look at the relationship between neoliberal global development and the illegal financial flows that are commonly associated with this development and map them geographically.