...Social class and crime Most studies in sociology suggest that the most serious and frequent offenders are young working class males. However, there may be a bias in the statistics that results in the idea that ‘white collar crime’ is underestimated... * WHITE COLLAR CRIME - middle class members of the business world - invisible and complex. * BLUE COLLAR CRIME - working class members in society - often visible and more likely to be punished. Sutherland (1949) first used the term ‘white collar crime’. He challenged the assumption that crime is mostly a working class phenomenon. However, his own definition is not helpful. The problem with it is that he does not distinguish crimes committed for an organisation. Writers have therefore distinguished between crimes: * CORPORATE CRIME - carried out on behalf of the organisation (e.g. tax evasion). * OCCUPATIONAL CRIME - benefits the individual at the expense of the organisation (e.g. embezzling money). White collar crimes are more technical, complex and discrete and often receive more lenient punishments than blue collar crimes. For white collar crimes, there is a fine line between what is acceptable and what is not. It is often about what is morally wrong rather than legally wrong. Occupational/Corporate crime: The study of these crimes developed from the work of Sutherland in the 1940s. He used the term white collar crime to refer to crime committed by people who worked in offices. His work overlaps with the interests...
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...White collar crime The phrase white collar crime was first used by Edwin Sutherland in 1939 during a speech to the American Sociological Society. He defined white collar crime as a "crime committed by a person of respectability and high social status in the course of his occupation."(Sutherland, “White-Collar Criminality."). Today, white collar crime refers to illegal offenses that are generally committed in the business or professional setting (white collar versus blue collar jobs) to achieve financial gain. Crimes that do not involve physical violence, and that relate largely to financial matters, are often called white collar crimes. Corporate corruption is out of control for two main reasons. First, big companies are now multinational, while governments remain national. Big companies are so financially powerful that governments are afraid to take them on. It is very important to study the cause and the possible solution for the increase in numbers of white collar crime; our focus needs to shift from Blue Collar Crimes to White Collar Crimes. U.S.A spends nearly $50 billion on fighting Blue Collar Crimes, not even quarter of that amount is spent on fighting White Collar Crimes. Hardly a day passes without a new story of malfeasance. Every Wall Street firm has paid significant fines during the past decade for phony accounting, insider trading, securities fraud, Ponzi schemes, or outright embezzlement by CEOs. A massive insider-trading ring is currently on trial in New York...
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...Cheating, Stealing: White-Collar Crime “Lying, Cheating, Stealing. That’s white-collar crime in a nutshell.” That is how the Federal Bureau of Investigation describes crime committed by corporations (FBI—White-Collar Crime). These crimes include fraud, identity theft, internet swindles, money laundering, price-fixing, embezzlement, political corruption, police brutality, and much more. Conklin (2010) defines white-collar crime as “any illegal act, punishable by a criminal sanction, that is committed in the course of a legitimate occupation or pursuit by a corporation or by an otherwise respectable individual of high social standing.” Who are white-collar criminals? Who are blue-collar criminals? What are the differences between white-collar crime and blue-collar crime? Is there disparate treatment in sentencing between white-collar and blue-collar criminals? If yes, should there be? For example, if someone breaks into my home, it is a blue-collar crime and I lose some property. If a banking or real estate corporation defrauds me, it is a white-collar crime, and I lose my home, savings, and/or pension. Who is the worse criminal, and what are we doing about it? I will research these questions and examine how these two types of criminals are treated within our society. In 1939, Edwin Sutherland coined the term white-collar crime in his presidential address to the American Sociological Society. In 1949, he authored a book, White- Collar Crime, that revealed a...
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...Types of White Collar Crime Angela L. Langley LEG 200 – White Collar Crime in Government, Business, and Labor Professor Thomas Demko Strayer University May 28, 2012 Assignment 1: Types of White Collar Crime A white collar crime is illegal and unethical, which violates the public trust. It deals with lying, cheating, and stealing by high profile individuals. A single con can destroy a business, hurt families by cleaning out their life savings, or cost investors billions of dollars. “Devastating losses in relation to homes, businesses, jobs, retirement funds, and college savings were widespread. “It was clear that fraudulent misrepresentations on many levels were at the center of this crisis” (Friedrichs, 2010, p. 1). We will compare and contrast the nature of white collar crime with other types of illegal acts, compare and contrast the typical participants of white collar crime against the participants of other types of illegal acts, discuss the role of technology in white collar crime and how its role may create differences from other forms of crime, and analyze the role of opportunity and how it contributes to white collar crime. Compare and contrast the nature of white collar crime with other types of illegal acts. The key elements of white collar crimes are trust and its violation. “White collar crimes take on the form of misrepresentation, stealing, misappropriation, self-dealing, corruption, and role conflict” (Friedrichs, 2010, p. 10). White-collar...
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...White Collar Crimes Buckner, Derrick Central Texas College BUSG 2305 Dr. Bob Stephens Welcome to the age of white collar crime. A time when the words thieves and businessmen go hand in hand. White collar criminals don’t get their hands dirty in their work. They use their heads to get what they want instead of using a little muscle. These criminals are just as dangerous as the rapists and murderers. In these times, even the most seemingly respectable people are suspected of white collar crimes. Like every other person in this world, when we hear the word crime; we automatically get an image of a person from a low class in a bad neighborhood and coming from a troubled family. However, who knew that those who are educated and coming from a wealthy family can also pertain to the world of crime and mischief. We as human beings tend to also be judgmental, assuming that only unprivileged men have a drive to commit an offense against the law then a prosperous individual. Nevertheless, it is not our evil doing that we are regularly pushed to foresee this problem this way, especially not when it is the media, the government, and the media are the ones who painting this picture for us. In this universe we are surrounded by none ending crime, crime is broking down into two sections that have categories of their own those are street crime and white collar crime. An in my Research I will speak about the Business Crime which has been Giving the Name White Collar Crime& How Businesses are...
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...White Collar crime VS. Blue collar crime A big problem in today society is white collar crime and blue collar crime. The big question we ask in society is which one is a bigger problem. In my paper I will go into detail with each one and distinguish them between Micro sociology and Macro sociology. The big question being asked is what is white collar crime identified as and blue collar crime? White collar crime is defined as “illegal or unethical acts that violate fiduciary responsibility of public trust committed by an individual or organization, usually during the course of legitimate occupational activity, by persons of high or respectable social status for personal or organizational gain” (Helmkamp, Ball, & Townsend,1996, p. 351). (Cullen, Clark, Mather’s, & Cullen, 1983; Grabosky et al., 1987; Hauber, Toonvliet, & Willemse, 1988; Holland, 1995) felt back then that white collar crimes get neglected. There are only 24 out of 140 crimes that are categorized to be white collar crimes. Some examples that are white collar crimes are (i.e., price fixing, defrauding customers, and income tax fraud). Benson and Cullen (1998) examined the perceptions of white-collar crime seriousness from local prosecutors. The prosecutors did not typically perceive such crimes as serious; it was stated that, less than 4% of urban prosecutors considered corporate crime a “very serious” problem and about 50% did not regard it as serious at all. When crimes like this are committed I feel that the...
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...Running Head: EXPLAINING WHITE COLLAR CRIME White Collar Crime Explanation Kaplan University Deborah Llamas CJ501P-01N Professor Tom DiPaola August 14, 2013 Bernard Madoff, appeared to be a cordial man with an alluring personality, however, despite his friendly demeanor Madoff had another side to him that was not as friendly and compassionate, he was considered to be withdrawn, cold, and unfriendly (Cresswell, & Thomas, 2009). Accordance to the video Maddoff was very rarely seen intermingling with the victims of whom he swindled millions of dollars, by means of hiring, Michael Bienes, and Frank Avellino, whom were responsible for bringing in clients with the promise of returns of potentially, 15% to 20% (Bienes, 2009). I. Maddoff’s Behavior Explained. Accordance to the video it is obvious that Bernie Maddoff considered a psychopath defined in the following manner; psychopaths do not learn from experience, have no inclination of responsibility, do not obtain the means of controlling their dispositions, emotionally immature, and unable to develop meaningful relationships. Similarly, Madoff clearly obtained anti-social personality social disorder, he had the ability to manipulate people without having any feelings of guilt or remorse for his actions, he never considered the fact that the people he cheated out of their hard earned money. He never considered that his victims had their rights, appeared to be amiable yet was aggressive...
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...topology of corporate crime, what are the main criteria used, and which criteria do you think are the most significant? A topology of corporate crime can be extremely helpful in recording data for evaluation. The separate concepts and dimensions of each topology can narrow an inquiry to a very particular subset of activities, victims and practices. A database search on more information of topologies within this subset of White Collar Crime yielded very few results. The author examines this from two broad categories. accounting for several factors within criminology or social science to allow a better study of the topic, in a more narrow scope. From these typologies, we can also draw numerous scientific values. The author uses the type of activity to study an area. The other typologies include, victims, such as the general public, consumers and employees. Another typology is the size of entity, such as the crime of a major domestic corporation. Thirdly, the product or service involved is another topology. Finally, the nature of the harmful activity. I believe the victim and type of activity are the most significant, because you will most likely have the most data to draw from. Victims will almost definitely report their loss if they suspect foul play; all the while the type of activity will be reported or derived from the victims report. These areas, in my mind, hold for quantitative data. 2. Identify and discuss how the corporate abuse of power, corporate fraud, and...
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...Compare and contrast the nature of white collar crime with other type types of illegal acts. 2. Compare and contrast the typical participants of white collar crime against the participants of other types of illegal acts 3. Discuss the role of technology in white collar crime and how its role may create differences from other forms of crime. 4. Analyze the role of “opportunity” and how it contributes to white collar crime. Provide specific examples to support your response. When Edwin Sutherland first began his study/analysis under the Traditional Summary Reporting System, there was a limited amount of information available on White Color Crime. The white-collar offenses that are measured are fraud, forgery/counterfeiting, embezzlement, and all other offenses. Because white-collar crimes are not Index crimes, the only information available on these offenses is arrest information, which includes age, sex, and race of the arrestee. Additionally, all other offenses arrest category is very limited in its ability to measure the white-collar offenses included in its counts. This is due to the inability to differentiate the white-collar offenses from the others that also fall in this category. Based upon the most recently published data from the FBI, the arrest rates for the offenses of embezzlement, fraud, and forgery/counterfeiting are much lower than the arrest rates for property, crime, or for total crimes in general. In order to assess the utility...
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...Assignment 2--- White Collar Crime Theories, Law, and Processes Lucas McPherson Professor Dr. Matthew Miko LEG 200 – White Collar Crime in Government, Business, and Labor December 21, 2011. 1. Explain white collar crime in terms of various theories related to criminology and crime. There are several basic theories in which white collar crime can be explained relating to criminology and crime. We must look at several concepts and behaviors and take certain metaphysical, ontological, and epistemological assumption about the ultimate nature of reality and being into consideration. Example, is reality subjective or objective? Is causation simply a human construct, or is it something that can be definitively and objectively established? The latter were two questions to approach some explanation of the theories of white collar crime and the criminological concept of the offenders in this sector. There are the sociological, biogenetic, psychological, and sociogenic explanation to white collar criminology and crime. The most basic theory of criminality states that criminals are different in some fundamental way from non-criminals. Then the nature of the difference must be identified. On a Sociological level the propensity to commit crimes, is shown to vary among various segments of the population or among different organization. The biogenetic explanation of criminality became especially influential in the nineteenth century. This states that criminals...
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...fraud scheme | CrimesInChicago 5/4/13 11:59 AM CrimesInChicago CA T EGORY ARCHIVE S : FR AU D SC HE ME White Collar Crime and Prosecution Posted on February 1, 2013 by webmaster White-collar crime is skyrocketing! Tough economic times and the advent of hi-tech computer technology coupled with Wall Street fraud is proving tough times for all Americans. Who are the white-collar criminals? What is White-collar crime? How do these individuals arrive at a position of trust? What is law enforcement doing? Who will be affected next? Will you be next? A white collar crime is many times defined as a non-violent crime involving deception and/or trickery, typically committed by a business person, public official, or someone of high stature, trust, or authority. Evidence in a white collar crime usually involves a paper trail of evidence that investigators use to prosecute the case. Although this definition may be true, it is hotly contested within the community of experts that try to define “White-Collar Crime”. Many experts feel there are three main characteristics that categorize a white-collar criminal. Some experts believe that white-collar crime should be defined by the high socioeconomic status and/or occupation of trust that the offender has. Others believe that white-collar crime should be defined by the type of offense committed i.e., fraud, counterfeiting, forgery, embezzlement, bribery, larceny, price fixing, racketeering, computer fraud, obstruction of justice, and perjury...
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...Theory does an excellent job of explaining white collar crime, along with the contextual anomie/ strain theory. While examining this theory, it was discovered as the most compelling in our constant battle with white collar and corporate crimes. Ever since the beginning of recorded history man/woman has tried to achieve a better life, but not much has changed in today’s standards, since it can be said it is more now than ever. From television, and radio we see the American dream of home ownership, the ability to fit into the society with the latest gadgets. At the same time trying to further their education has its roots in the American dream of more pay, a better job, and the ability to retire all these things is associated with the American dream of more money. While reading this theory I took a closer look into what fuels the human mind in our society. White collar crime in most cases, according to the Strain Theory and my own beliefs is what fuel the human desire to be successful. Greed has always and always will be a driving force in our society, I see no relief in sight unless we as a society find some way that money is no longer the means to an end, but how would we survive without money. According to Merton (1957), he stated that not all individuals have the opportunity to success, including a lack of education, which may play a role in their race. Although, I find this theory to also be very unique in its opinion of white collar crime. Because, there was a time in America...
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...THE CROOKS in your company have never been so tempted. The spread of technology that makes office work easier can make white-collar crimes almost laughably simple. Laser printers can forge documents with breathtaking fidelity, and color copiers can reproduce them. Imagine a dishonest executive boarding a plane and carrying a laptop computer with a modem. Using the on- board telephone, he hooks up to the mainframe at headquarters and transfers $50 million to his Swiss bank account -- as he jets toward Rio. Such new opportunities, plus the spirit of an age that encourages rather than represses the natural lust for wealth, are greatly intensifying the allure of ripping off one's employer. The amounts being stolen from companies appear to be growing dramatically. In the past several weeks a former General Electric Capital manager, allegedly in cahoots with a bank vice president, was charged with taking $30,000 in kickbacks as part of a scheme that resulted in $4.5 million of fraudulent loans. A Continental Illinois vice president went on trial charged with approving $1 billion of bad loans in exchange for $585,000 in kickbacks, loans that allegedly cost the Chicago bank $800 million and helped trigger its 1984 collapse. FDIC investigators say internal fraud was the major cause of one-third of all bank failures over the past two years. To some extent the victims have themselves to blame. A company with shoddy financial controls or badly trained internal auditors practically begs employees...
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...youth violence; assault by strangers; violence related to property crimes; and violence in workplaces and other institutions. Stalking is a form of Interpersonal Violence that involves a pattern of harassing or threatening behavior directed towards a person that is both unwanted and causes fear or concerns for personal safety. Stalking tactics include, but are not limited to, behaviors such as repeated unwanted phone calls, text messages, or emails, watching or following from a distance or showing up in places such as the victim/survivor’s home, workplace or school. Any of these behaviors individually are not necessarily illegal or in violation of university policy. However, when the person being stalked acknowledges the behavior is unwanted and repeated, there can be an implied threat in the continued contact. Stalking may occur in person, but it can also occur online and through social media. Another type of Interpersonal Violence is Hate Crime. It is a crime motivated by hatred, bias, or prejudice based on the actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation of another individual or group of individuals. One example is a Muslim-American woman in religious clothing was shopping when a Caucasian woman attacked her and yelled, "America is only for white people!” Chapter 11 introduced the concept of Crimes Against Property. It include many common crimes relating to theft or...
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...S E C T I O N II Understanding White-Collar Crime Definitions, Extent, and Consequences S ecti on Hi g h l i g h ts •• •• •• •• •• •• White-Collar Crime: An Evolving Concept Modern Conceptualizations of White-Collar Crime Extent of White-Collar Crime Consequences of White-Collar Crime Public Attitudes About White-Collar Crime Characteristics of White-Collar Offenders A 34 s noted in the introduction, Edwin Sutherland created the concept of white-collar crime more than 70 years ago to draw attention to the fact that crimes are committed by individuals in all social classes. As will be seen in this section, one of the largest difficulties in understanding white-collar crime has centered on an ongoing debate about how to define white-collar crime. After discussing various ways that white-collar crime can be defined, attention will be given to the extent of white-collar crime, the consequences of this illicit behavior, public attitudes about white-collar crime, and patterns describing the characteristics of white-collar offenders. Section II Understanding White-Collar Crime 35 As a backdrop to this discussion, consider the following recent white-collar crimes described in the media: •• A jury convicted [then-Baltimore mayor Sheila] Dixon . . . of embezzling about $500 worth of gift cards donated to the city for needy families. Dixon then pleaded guilty last month to lying about thousands of dollars in gifts from her former boyfriend, a prominent developer...
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