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White Collar Crime Political Crime

White Collar Crime Political Crime. Social Context Defining WCC Types of WCC/Examples Applying Theory to WCC. Social Context. Concern with “corporate” criminals emerged in the U.S. in the early 1900s “Robber Barons” (Morgan, Carnegie, Rockefeller) Muckrakers

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White Collar Crime Political Crime

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  1. White Collar CrimePolitical Crime Social Context Defining WCC Types of WCC/Examples Applying Theory to WCC

  2. Social Context • Concern with “corporate” criminals emerged in the U.S. in the early 1900s • “Robber Barons” (Morgan, Carnegie, Rockefeller) • Muckrakers • Upton Sinlcair (1906) The Jungle • Sutherland’s work on “White Collar Crime” • He coined this term • Study of 70 Largest U.S. corporations

  3. Defining White Collar Crime • Sutherland (coined the term) • Respectable/High Social Status • In the course of occupation • Later • Occupational Crime • Organizational/Corporate Crime

  4. Occupational Crime • Employee Theft • Pilferage and Embezzling • “Collective Embezzlement” • Fraud in the Professions • Medical Industry • Financial Fraud • Insider trading

  5. Organizational/Corporate Crime • Financial Crimes • Fraud, cheating, corruption… • Price fixing, price gouging, trade restraint • False Advertising • Bait and Switch • Violent Crimes • Unsafe work conditions • Unsafe products • Environmental Pollution

  6. Comparing the Harm • Property loss • “Street Crimes” (FBI data) = $15 billion • W.C.C. (from several sources) = $400 billion • Death • Street crimes = 17,000 homicides • W.C.C. • 30,000 deaths from unsafe products • 20,000 deaths from environmental pollution • 12,000 deaths from unneeded surgery

  7. Explaining White Collar Crime:Theories that Don’t Work • Merton’s “modes of adaptation” • Poverty, inequality, etc. • Low Self-Control ?? • Gottfredson and Hirschi point to “pilfering” and “embezzlement” as typical white collar offenses • Control theory that emphasizes “stake in conformity”

  8. Explaining White Collar Crime IIWhat Works? • Sutherland (corporate culture, neutralizations) • DA as a “general” theory • Merton’s “Anomie,” Messner & Rosenfeld, Durkheim • “Industrial Prosperity” • Radical Theories • Social harms will not be defined as “crime” if they benefit the wealthy. • Crimes of those in power will be ignored/minimized

  9. W.C.C. and Deterrence Theory: What Might Work…if we tried. • Deterrence: Swift, Certain, Severe punishment will reduce crime • But, must assume “rational calculator” • Problems for some street crime • More applicable W.C.C.? • The Irony • Many white collar criminals are fined an amount less than the “take” from the crime • Calls by policymakers for “self-regulation”

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