The Rationalization Variable In 1953, Donald Cressey conducted an experiment on convicted embezzlers (Friedrichs, 2010). Through this study, Cressey assigned particular importance to the rationalization of the offenders. Cressey proposed that there were three necessary conditions for embezzlement to occur; “A non-sharable financial problem must exist, individuals and groups must have knowledge necessary to commit the embezzlement, and suitable rationalizations for such behaviors must be available to the actors” (Leclair, 2015). However, Cressey stated the last condition was the most important (Schlegel & Weisburd, 1992; Friedrich, 2010; Leclair, 2015). Rationalization is the way that individuals negate standards that condemn criminal behavior …show more content…
Sutherland believed that social forces could support and individual’s criminal behavior, and ability to commit crimes and deviant acts (Leclair, 2015). One of the reasons that Sutherland gave to why individuals commit crimes was because of industrialization, and the rise of capitalism. Moreover, the rise of capitalism and the increase in industrialization caused more social mobility (Schlegel & Weisburd, 1992). Before the rise in capitalism, individuals were satisfied with meeting the economic and social needs of their family. These people were not motivated by the need to make money and have material things (Schlegel & Weisburd, 1992). In contrast, as capitalism and industrialization moved into society, social disorganization began; meaning, ones values, attitudes, and beliefs changed. The primary agents of social control; such as, family and homogenous neighborhoods, broke down as a result of social mobility (Schlegel & Weisburd, 1992). Individuals began to be influenced by the power of wealth and materialism, this encouraged criminal behavior. The executives of Enron (Lay, Skilling, Pai, and Fastow) were motivated by power and greed. They were caught up in the capitalist ideal to make as much money as possible and to be powerful. Lay, Skilling, Pai, and Fastow came from respectful families. The documentary gave insight into the life of Kenneth Lay. He came from a religious family. He was the son of a Baptist preacher. However, it seemed that Lay always had a motivation to achieve more in his life. Ultimately, he forgot his ideals, primary agents of socialization, and went into the world of business. Sutherland would say this increase in social mobility has increased his propensity to commit crimes. He let his motivation for power and wealth cloud his judgement and ability to think clearly. Another example of the breakdown of
In criminology there are numerous theories as to the causes of different types of crime. These theories are extremely important in the continuous debate of the ways in which crime should be managed and prevented. Many theories have surfaced over the years. These theories continue to be explored individually and in combination, as criminologists search for the best solutions in ultimately reducing types and levels of crime. These theories include rational choice theory, social learning theory, and biology amongst many others. In this case study strain theory will be used to describe the reasons behind the white collar crimes of Charles Ponzi.
Sutherland’s theory suggests that people learn to commit crime and deviant behaviors from others. His theory is similar to what is mentioned in the book. An example of this would be how Billy’s friends, who most of them were much older than he, would take him out on Saturdays to Dorchester and they would teach him “the art of snatching items” from convenience stores (155) Laub and Sampson agree with this theory of learning by association. It is important to see the correlation between peers and self and the values they share. Rather than be independent, the “learning offender” adopts the values of his
Currie felt that capitalism is the main source of crime, particularly the high rate of violent crime in the US. Capitalism comes in multiple forms like compassionate capitalism, keiretsu capitalism, and continent or harsh brand capitalism. Elliott Currie believed we ‘America’ live in a market society, also call market economy. Currie expressed that economic inequality has had a direct impact on criminal behavior.
White-collar crime is the financially motivated illegal acts that are committed by the middle and upper class through their legitimate business or government activities. This form of crime was first coined by Edwin Sutherland in 1939 as “a crime committed by a person of respectability and high social status in the course of his occupation.” (Linden, 2016). Crime has often been associated with the lower class due to economic reasons. However, Sutherland stressed that the Criminal Justice System needed to acknowledge illegal business activity as crime due to the repercussions they caused and the damage they can cause to society (Linden, 2016). Crime was prevalently thought to only be
Crime causation is looking at why people commit crimes. There are many theories that have been developed to explain this. The theories can be grouped into eight general categories of which one is the Classical theory (Schmallegar, 2011, p. 79). A subset of this theory, rational choice theory, will be specifically looked at to explain the crime of burglary. Just as no one causation theory explains all crimes committed, the rational choice theory itself does not completely explain why all burglars commit their crimes. Therefore, the pros and cons of the rational choice theory will be discussed in relation to the crime topic of burglary.
Did you know that in 2014, shoplifting and worker’s theft cost the retail industry a loss of thirty-two billion dollars (Wahba, 2015)? According Wahba “a common misperception about shoplifting is that retailers can ‘afford’ the loss of a candy bar or a pair of jeans” (2015). This type of reasoning certainly does make more sense when explained through the context of a criminological theory. For example according to the Rational Choice theory individuals weigh the costs and benefits associated with a criminal and or deviant act and then make a conscious choice. Other criminological theories explain criminal and deviant behavior using a biological, psychological, social, conflict, or multifactor component. Taking that into consideration in this
According to the rational choice Theory “reasoning criminals evaluate the risk of apprehension, the seriousness of expected punishment, the potential value of the criminal enterprise, and their immediate need for criminal gain; their behavior is systematic and selective” (Siegel 106). If any one of these factors does not fall on the positive outcome list, the criminal will not, according to the theory, commit the crime. So it is safe to say that a criminal will have to rationalize their crime in this way: I will not get caught, if I get caught it I will not be punished that severely, I will make a ton of money, and I need to pay my bills with my pay off.
Though many ‘people are aware of what corporate crimes are there are still many who do not know’. A corporate or white-collar crime can be described as “a crime committed by any person through the venue of his or her employment that benefits the business”, ‘this can mean that a corporation does an illegal act of indifference to better the corporation’. It is argued that corporate crimes are more harmful to the general public than acts of intention. When it comes to these ‘crimes it can be said that many of the victims that it affects do not realize, that they are being affected and if and when they do know it is argued that they are told that it is due to a misfortunate accident and that there is no one to blame for the Act’. Many criminologists such as Sutherland argued that corporate crime is something
Williams, Frank P. and Marilyn D. McShane, Criminal Theory: Selected Classic Readings. 2nd ed. Cincinnati, Ohio: Anderson Publishing Company, 1998.
Eysenck, H.J., & Gudjonsson, G.H. (1989). The causes and cures of criminality. Contemporary Psychology, 36, 575-577.
In history, crimes have been dealt with by the justice system according to its severity as well as the offender: if the crime committed was not very serious and the offender was deemed “non-delinquent”, or “free of any real criminal disposition”, they would be cautioned or fined. However, were the crime a more serious one and the offender appeared to have a “criminal character”, they would receive more severe and more deterrent punishment (Garland, 2001: 42).
the social world of Enron. The fact that they took the form they did and to such a pronounced degree are certainly troubling and perhaps surprising. What should not be surprising is the role such ritualization processes played in the development of this type of deviance, given recognition of their importance in social relationships and organizations.
A look into the public’s perception on whether the penalties given are harsh enough for white collar criminals since most types of crimes have a set of standard penalties for those convicted. A standard set of penalties needs to be looked at for white collar crimes to help in eliminating the criminal behavior and saving society billions of dollars a year. Perception of Penalties White collar crime is viewed as non-violent and treated differently than other types of crimes; some that are even violent in nature. In general, personal and public perceptions can vary from one individual to another. “A recent survey conducted by the National White Collar Crime Center (NWCCC) confirms that the public considers certain white collar crimes as more serious than some street crimes, according to Drs.
Fraud and white-collar crime are common forms of crimes that people commit in various aspects and positions in the corporate world. Fraud and white-collar crimes have similar meaning as they refer to the non-violent crimes that people commit with the basic objective of gaining money using illegal means. The cases of white-collar crimes have been increasing exponentially in the 21st century due to the advent of technology because fraudsters apply technological tools in cheating, swindling, embezzling, and defrauding people or organizations. White-collar crime is a complex issue in society because its occurrence is dependent on many factors such as organizational structure, organization culture, and personality traits. Thus, the literature review examines how organizational structure, organizational culture, and personality traits contribute to the occurrence of white-collar crimes.
MacDonald, H. (2010, January 4). A crime theory demolished. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142405274870359090504574638024055735590.ht