State Crime, Social Injury, and LGBT Victimization in Russia and Sweden

• In Event: 600 - Section on Crime, Law and Deviance Roundtable Session
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 07. Global Criminology and International Law

Abstract

State crimes are crimes committed by the state in violation of their own criminal laws or public international law. However, states engage in behaviors that do not violate their own criminal laws, but may still violate human rights principles embodied in international law or treaty. These practices would be classified as state sanctioned social harm - activities enacted by state agencies that cause harm to its citizens. Around the world, many state agencies engage in violent or discriminatory practices towards LGBT persons that qualify as state harm, from the most severe activities, such as capital punishment for engaging in same-sex sexual relations, to less violent activities, such as sanctioning practices that prevent LGBT persons from the rights that justifiably belong to every person. This paper analyzes the ways different state approaches to social harm influences LGBT victimization by comparing the practices of the Russian Federation and Sweden.

Authors

• Danielle MacCartney, Webster University

• Hillary Picker, Webster University

• Maggie Nagle, Webster University