CRM 3301 Lecture Notes - Lecture 10: Africville, Maritime Geography, Environmental Crime

• School: University of Ottawa
• Department: Criminology
• Course: CRM 3301
• Professor: Bali

Document Summary

Need to develop a more social harm perspective. Criminal law focuses attention on areas that suit powerful interests: suits capitalist interests. Crime is a social construct and a problematic concept: like homosexuality used to be considered a crime in canada. Criminologists should abandon the concept of crime and replace it with a social harm perspective: we would have a better understanding of what is most harmful to our society. Also look at things that may not be illegal, but still have a negative impact on the environment. Focuses on environmental degradation and the impact of crimes that are committed against the environment and its species. Addresses legitimate or illegitimate conducts harming the environment and the species inhabiting it. Prefer the concept of harm to crime because harm transcends legal definitions of crime. Example exxon oil spill crisis: no one was really held accountable, don"t take environmental crime seriously, failure of the government. 2 approaches: the anthropocentric approach, the eco-centric approach.