Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
White collar crime
White collar and corporate crime
White collar and corporate crime
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: White collar crime
Matthew Love
HW 4 Crime
White Collar Crime
A social problem associated with crime and criminal justice is white collar crime. White collar crime encompasses several crimes including fraud, money laundering, tax crimes, and embezzlement. White collar crime is considered differently than other crimes because of the offender's social status, demographics, and psychological characteristics (Cohen 2016). Those who commit white collar crimes are make more rational decisions than violent offenders, and they as equally likely to be committed by men as they are women (Cohen 2016). Those affected by white collar crime come from all races and genders. Although victims of white collar crime tend to be older and middle to upper class (Crime 1990) Statistics on white collar crime reported by law enforcement can be limited because the victims may not know who to report the crime to (Cohen 2016). There is a financial burden on the society as a whole. After the financial crisis of 2008 brought on by several different kinds of white collar crime such most importantly mortgage fraud, investors lost more than 7 trillion dollars. A lot of which was invested for retirement and college tuition (Cohen 2016). There is also a physical component to white collar crime associated with corporate negligence and not adhering to safety standards and regulations. One example is the E-coli
…show more content…
C. (2007). The goals and promise of the Sarbanes–Oxley Act. The Journal of Economic Perspectives, 21(1), 91-116.
Cohen, M. A. (2016). The Costs of White-Collar Crime. In The Oxford Handbook of White-Collar Crime (p. 78). Oxford University Press.
Crime, W. C. (1990). Victims of fraud: Comparing victims of white collar and violent crime. Bull Am Acad Psychiatry Law, 18(1).
Friedrichs, D. O., & Salama, O. (2015). White-Collar Crime and Public Policy: Crimes of High Finance and Environmental Crime. US Criminal Justice Policy, 315.
Kaal, W. A., & Rule, V. (2016). Dodd-Frank
1. Reiman explains that the idea that white collar crime is taken less seriously is because it protects the elite classes. For example, if the public believes they should fear the poor more than the rich, the rich can commit more crimes and go unnoticed because the population is focused on the poor Reiman explains that that the way crime is explained does not exactly fit what we think crime is. He explains that the notion that white-collar crime being harmless is based on the idea that white collar crimes do not end in injury or death is false because more people’s lives are put at risk than “lower class” crimes. Reinman thinks it is necessary to re- educate the public on white-collar crimes for economic
In the Frontline documentary “The Madoff Affair”, it is revealed and painfully evident that the ability to predict, prevent, and prosecute white collar crime is flawed and highly complicated even for the government. Frontline takes a look at the first global Ponzi scheme in history and helps create a better understanding of the illegal conduct that led to the rise and fall of Bernie Madoff and those associated with his empire (Frontline, 2017). When the leadership at the top of any organization is founded on lies, secrecy, and empowered by the leaders within the industry, the corruption is deep and difficult to prosecute. The largest stock market fraud in history reinforces the need for better government regulations, enforcement of the regulations, and oversight, especially in it’s own backyard (Yang, 2014).
White collar crime is a term created by Edwin Sutherland in 1939 that refers to crimes committed by people of higher social status, companies, and the government according to the book “White-Collar Crime in a Nutshell” by Ellen Podgor and Jerold Israel. White collar crimes are usually non-violent crimes committed in order to have a financial-gain (Podgor and Israel 3). A very well known white collar crime that has even been taught in many history classes is the Watergate scandal. This is a white collar crime that was committed by government authorities. Watergate was a crime that shocked the nation.
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
white-collar crime” (Shapiro, S. P.). It is no surprise to anyone that positions of trust regularly decentralize to corporations, occupations, and “white-collar” individuals. Nevertheless, the concept of “white-collar crime” involves a false relationship between role-specific norms and the characteristics of those who typically occupy these roles. Most of the time, it is the offender that is looked at more than the crime itself and assumptions about the individuals automatically come into play. It has be to acknowledged that “ class or organizational position are consequential and play a more complex role in creating opportunities for wrongdoing and in shaping and frustrating the social control process than traditional stereotypes have allowed” (Shapiro, S. P.). The opportunities to partake in white-collar crime and violate the trust in which ones position carries are more dependent upon the individuals place in society, not just the work place. The ways in which white-collar criminals establish and exploit trust are an important factor in truly exploring and defining the concept of white-collar crime.
White collar and corporate crimes are crimes that many people do not associate with criminal activity. Yet the cost to the country due to corporate and white collar crime far exceeds that of “street” crime and benefit fraud. White collar and corporate crimes refer to crimes that take place within a business or institution and include everything from Tax fraud to health and safety breaches.
White collar crimes do not garner as much media attention as that of violent crimes (Trahan, Marquart, & Mullings 2005). This is an odd fact because white collar crimes cost society much more than violent crimes do (Messner & Rosenfeld 2007). While there are many different definitions for white collar crime, Schoepfer and Piquero describe it as a nonphysical crime that is used to either obtain goods or to prevent goods from being taken (2006). People who commit these crimes are looking for personal or some sort of organizational gain and are being pressured to be economically successful from the idea of the American dream. The authors suggest that there are two types of people who commit crimes, those who have an immense desire for control and those who fear losing all they have worked hard for (Schopfer & Piquero 2006). Both groups have different reasons for turning to crime, but both groups commit the crime to benefit themselves. It was found that higher levels of high school drop outs were directly correlated to levels of embezzlement in white collar crime (2006). Because they are drop outs, they are less likely to be successful legitimately and turn to crime more often than their graduate
...rs, such as the environment, play a significant role in determining the hidden causes of criminal behavior. For that reason, although the theories discussed contradict each other, they each offer us different insights into white-collar crimes undertaken by individuals. Strain theory focuses on the widespread cultural emphases of wealth and material success. This can drive individuals and their corporation to pursue new criminal methods to advance. Rational choice guides scrutiny to an offender’s analysis regarding the benefits and costs associated. Each provides an explanation for different aspects of white-collar behaviour depending on the way a situation examined. For crimes aren’t necessarily an individual issue but a problem of society. Therefore, in order to reduce crime focus needs to be placed on changes regarding both individuals and the broader society.
Without Boeskey’s help, catching other insider-trading criminals would have been almost impossible. Ivan Boesky even wrote a book about his involvement in the world of insider trading; he called it Merger Mania. This case illustrates that there are real consequences to white collar crime. In addition to paying the fifty million dollar fine, he relinquished another fifty million dollars of his illegal trading profits. He still had millions remaining, however, from his illegal gains.
Edwin Sutherland’s work was given high praise and many researchers over the years have used his work to bolster their own research (Bernard, 2008). Mairi Macpherson has conducted research on white collar crime. In her research her topic is white collar crime and the effect on society. In her presentation she started with “what is white collar crime?” this question is answered by a quote from Edwin Sutherland “a crime committed by a person of respectability and high social status in the course of his occupation.” (Sutherland, 1939) In her research she briefly states the difference blue collar crimes and white collar crimes (Macpherson, 2012). A Louisiana State University Law Professor John S. Baker conducted research paper on the sociological origins of white collar crimes. In John S. Baker research, he has incorporated Edwin Sutherlands work into his own “Sociologist Edwin Sutherland, who coined the phrase white-collar crime attempted to redefine crime according to the alleged perpetrator’s class rather than what that person did” (Baker, 2004). Donald J. Newman has research paper on white collar crime. His research paper focuses on how a white collar crime is defined. Donald’s research states “Conversely however,
Within this paper, embezzlement in America was researched in general and specific ways. The history of white-collar crime was discussed along with the formulation of embezzlement. The most popular cases dealing with embezzlement were mentioned and briefly analyzed. Along with the defining embezzlement, this paper lets readers know expected punishments for committing this crime and also discusses the variations of embezzlement as a crime. This paper also offers insight on how embezzlement can harm individuals, corporations, and communities.
White-Collar Crime is defined as lying, cheating, or stealing against the government (Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2014). It’s not always classified as a victimless crime because a white-collar scam can destroy a company, shatter families by clearing out their life savings, or costing investors billions of dollars (Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2014).
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.
...the entire research shows that the ACFE’s profile description of a white collar criminal not only describes the white collar criminal, but also law abiding citizens. The ACFE describes their idea of a white collar criminal as someone who is “young, well-educated, aggressive go-getters who get tripped up along the way” (Pavlo, 2010, p. 1). Also, the ACFE explains that there are also red flags that can be noticeable. In fact, 43% of the cases involving white collar criminals showed that they were living way beyond their means (Pavlo, 2010, p. 1). In a 2008 article, white collar criminals are described as typically being men averaging between forty-one years to fifty years old and working in a company’s accounting department (). As discussed; profiles can be established, however, there are some discrepancies as to a perfect profile describing a white collar criminal.
This paper will explore different types of white collar crime from some of the most common white collar crimes like fraud, identity theft and scams, as well as other types of white collar crimes like embezzlement and tax fraud. This paper will use research found online that explains the different white collar crimes as well as consequences, definitions and even companies or people who have committed those crimes. This paper will also discuss my views and opinions as well as research that I have found.