White collar crimes are financially motivated crimes committed by individuals, businesses, and government entities. The actual term “white collar crime” was coined by Edwin Sutherland
Edwin Sutherland
Edwin Hardin Sutherland was an American sociologist. He is considered as one of the most influential criminologists of the 20th century. He was a sociologist of the symbolic interactionist school of thought and is best known for defining white-collar crime and differential association, a …
American Sociological Association
The American Sociological Association, founded in 1905 as the American Sociological Society, is a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the discipline and profession of sociology. Most members work in academia, but about 20 percent work in government, business, or non-profit orga…
What crimes are considered white collar?
White-collar crime generally encompasses a variety of nonviolent crimes usually committed in commercial situations for financial gain. The following is an inclusive list of white-collar offenses : antitrust violations, bankruptcy fraud, bribery, computer and internet fraud, counterfeiting, credit card fraud, economic espionage and trade secret ...
What qualifies as a white collar crime?
White-collar crime generally encompasses a variety of nonviolent crimes usually committed in commercial situations for financial gain. The following is an inclusive list of white-collar offenses : antitrust violations, bankruptcy fraud, bribery, computer and internet fraud, counterfeiting, credit card fraud, economic espionage and trade secret theft, embezzlement, environmental law violations, financial institution fraud, government fraud, healthcare fraud, insider trading, insurance fraud, ...
What makes a crime "white collar"?
Summary White-collar crime is a type of non-violent crime that is financially motivated. White-collar crimes may be perpetrated by individuals or at a corporate level. ... A sociologist and criminologist, Edwin Sutherland, invented the phrase "white-collar crime" in 1939. ...
What are the categories of white collar crime?
Four Types Of White Collar Crime
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What is an example of white-collar crime?
Examples of white-collar crimes include securities fraud, embezzlement, corporate fraud, and money laundering. In addition to the FBI, entities that investigate white-collar crime include the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD), and state authorities.
What is white-collar crime sociology quizlet?
White collar crime. offenses. committed by workers in the course of their commercial activities.
Which is not considered a type of white collar crime sociology?
Any of the offenses described above, when committed by or on behalf of an organization established to carry out illegal activity, are known as racketeering or “organized crime.” Organized crime is usually not considered a type of “white collar crime,” but it often involves many of the same criminal statutes.
What is the major difference between white collar crime and street crime quizlet?
What is the difference between street crime and white-collar crime? street crime usually occurs in public; white-collar crime usually occurs in private.
What are white collar crimes?
The term white collar crime covers a wide array of crimes, but they all involve crimes committed through deceit for the purpose of gaining money or other assets. The most common types of white collar crime include fraud, insider trading, and bribery. White collar crimes can often be difficult to prosecute, as the perpetrators take sophisticated ...
Why is white collar crime so hard to prosecute?
White collar crimes can often be difficult to prosecute, as the perpetrators take sophisticated steps to ensure their illegal activities are difficult to detect. The most common types of white collar crime are explained below.
How much does white collar crime cost?
Fraud and other white collar crimes cost businesses and individuals more than $400 billion each year in the U.S. White collar crime most commonly occurs in companies with fewer than 100 employees. 75% of white collar crime is committed by men.
What is a felony?
Felony – A crime, often involving violence, regarded as more serious than a misdemeanor. Felony crimes are usually punishable by imprisonment more than one year. Fraud – A false representation of fact, whether by words, conduct, or concealment, intended to deceive another.
What is deceptive crime?
Crimes that are committed using deceptive practices for financial gains.
What is the crime of a forged check?
This includes such crimes as passing forged checks, and creating, possession, or selling falsified art.
Who coined the term "white collar crime"?
The actual term “white collar crime” was coined by Edwin Sutherland, Professor of Sociology, 29th President American Sociological Society. Sutherland described such crimes as “a crime committed by a person of respectability and high social status in the course of his occupation.”.
Why is white collar crime important?
But arguably, the concept is useful and important because it challenges our view of crime and suggests that crime is far more widespread and not confined to particular social classes.
Why don't businesses talk about white collar crime?
Then there are often good reasons why businesses and others don’t want to talk about white collar crime: •Firms may not want to admit they have been victims of theft – effect on business. •Firms may not want to admit that their staff have committed a crime. On the part of the police and the law:
Is white collar crime considered a crime?
And finally, society in general tends to have an ambiguous view of white collar crime: •White collar crime is often not considered to be crime – people ofte talk about perks of the job. •Many white collar offences may be defined as civil rather than criminal matters.
What Impact Does White-collar Crime Have On Society?
White-collar crime has a far greater economic impact than ordinary crime. It can cause unsafe working conditions, harm consumers, and cause pollution in the community, according to most experts.
What Is A White-collar Crime Example?
Securities fraud, embezzlement, corporate fraud, and money laundering are some of the most common white-collar crimes. The FBI is not the only entity that investigates white-collar crime; the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD), and state authorities are also involved.
Who Discovered White-collar Crime?
As a result of the term coined by American criminologist Edwin Sutherland in 1939, the perpetrators were typically businesspeople, high-ranking professionals, and politicians. These crimes have, however, become less exclusive since Sutherland’s time.
What Are 5 White-collar Crimes?
In addition to wage theft, fraud, bribery, Ponzi schemes, insider trading, labor racketeering, embezzlement, cybercrime, copyright infringement, money laundering, and identity theft, white-collar crimes can also include fraud, briber y, Ponzi schemes, insider trading, labor rackete ering, embezzlement, cybercrime
What Are The Effects Of Corporate Crimes In Society?
There are many types of it, from psychological to physical to environmental. Bitterness, health problems, depression , and anger are reported by the victims. These crimes lead to a breach of trust and even the loss of their jobs.
What is white collar crime?
"White collar crime," says Sutherland, is "crime committed by a person of respectability and high social status in the course of his occupation.".
What is the war against white collar crime?
The war against white-collar crime thus unwittingly stems from and embraces a class-based sociological concept of crime.
How did Sutherland expand the scope of crime?
Sutherland and his successors greatly expanded the scope of crime by shifting the focus to corporations and individuals in the upper socioeconomic classes. 30 A lawyer-sociologist critic of Sutherland's work, Paul W. Tappan, long ago noted that Sutherland's definition of crime departed from the legal definition. 31 Tappan charged that this development was a "seductive movement to revolutionize the concepts of crime and [the] criminal...." 32 According to Tappan, Professor Sutherland's definition of "white-collar crime" includes "a boor, a sinner, a moral leper or the devil incarnate but he does not become a criminal through sociological name-calling." 33
What is the thesis of the book "The Criminal Behavior of the Lower Socioeconomic Class"?
The thesis of this book, stated positively, is that persons of the upper socioeconomic class engage in much criminal behavior; that this criminal behavior differs from the criminal behavior of the lower socioeconomic class principally in the administrative procedures which are used in dealing with the offenders; and that variations in administrative procedures are not significant from the point of view of causation of crime.... 12
Who coined the term "white collar crime"?
Professor Edwin Sutherland, a sociologist who coined the term "white-collar crime," disagreed with certain basic substantive and procedural principles of criminal law. In his landmark book, White Collar crime, 1 first published in 1949, Sutherland dismisses the traditional mens rea (criminal intent) requirement and the presumption of innocence.
Is white collar crime a division of organizational crime?
34 Some sociologists, finding even Sutherland's very loose definition "too restrictive," "have dropped the class of the offender as a relevant element." 35 Thus, "white-collar" crime has now become a division of organizational crime. 36 One example is the Justice Department effort to force corporations to waive their privilege against self-incrimination as a condition of pleading guilty. This nascent trend is consistent with and sociologically derived from Sutherland's thesis that "white-collar" criminals are not entitled to the same constitutional protections afforded other defendants. Recently and rather remarkably, the Justice Department has espoused an essentially class-based view of the law in requesting that the Sentencing Commission disallow departures from the sentencing guidelines for "white collar criminal defendants, who typically have sophisticated counsel." 37
Does Sutherland want to eliminate the stigma of crime?
It may be excellent policy to eliminate the stigma of crime from violations of law by both the upper and the lower classes, but we are not here concerned with policy. 23. Sutherland did not seek to eliminate the stigma of crime (although dispensing with the intent requirement should theoretically achieve this goal).
What is white collar crime?
White-collar crime involves lying, cheating or stealing. Fraud, embezzlement, forgery, money laundering, Internet scams, tax evasion, environmental law violations and security violations are all forms of white-collar crime. White-collar crime occurs in the course of the criminal's legitimate job or profession.
Why is organized crime so interesting?
From a sociological perspective, organized crime is interesting because these organizations often mirror the structure of legitimate corporations. Typically, there are 'bosses,' 'mid-level managers' and 'lower-level workers.'
What is a crime against property?
This is a crime against property. Crimes against property are all crimes involving the theft of or damage to property. Crimes against property don't involve bodily harm or the threat of bodily harm to a victim. Crimes against property include burglary, arson, auto theft, shoplifting and vandalism.
What is street crime?
When you think of crime, you most likely think of street crime. Street crime is any criminal offense that typically takes place or originates in a public place. There are many different types of street crime. Some types are violent and some are non-violent. For example, crimes against persons are all crimes involving bodily harm, the threat of bodily harm or other actions committed against the will of the victim. Assault, battery, sexual assault, homicide, domestic violence and robbery are crimes against persons.
What is crime in law?
Let's review. Crime is any act that is against a legal code or law. Crimes fall into one of two broad categories:
What are the two categories of crimes?
Though there are many different types of crimes, crimes generally fall into one of two broad categories: Street crime. White-collar crime . From a sociological perspective, it's helpful to understand these categories so we can explore the different types of people who commit those crimes and why.
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Crime
- White collar crime refers to non-violent crimes committed through deceptive practices, for the purpose of financial gain. Typically, white collar crimes are committed by business people who are able to access large amounts of money, though the term is sometimes applied to others who pilfer monies in other circumstances. White collar crimes are non-violent, and are committed by …
Timeline
- Origin 1939 Term created by Edwin Sutherland, Professor of Sociology, President American Sociological Society
Summary
- White collar crimes are financially motivated crimes committed by individuals, businesses, and government entities. The actual term white collar crime was coined by Edwin Sutherland, Professor of Sociology, 29th President American Sociological Society. Sutherland described such crimes as a crime committed by a person of respectability and high soci...
Causes
- Fraud is committed by misrepresenting facts in order to gain something in return. The crime of fraud requires four elements:
Example
- Example of Fraud After doing some investigation, Joseph learned that the apartment was not for rent at all, but that the man he met with and gave the money to was not the property owner. In this example of white collar crime, the man who posed as the owner to swindle money out of a prospective tenant has committed fraud. Example of Insider Trading Example of Bribery This is …
Facts
- Joseph responded to an ad about an apartment for rent. He met with the supposed landlord, toured the apartment, and agreed to rent the apartment by signing a lease. Joseph paid the security deposit and first months rent up front. The next week, Joseph went to the apartment to pick up the key, and learned that someone else actually occupied the residence.
Controversy
- Insider trading is often considered a type of fraud, though many people are surprised to learn that not all insider trading is illegal. Insider trading is against the law if a securities transaction, which is the sale or purchase of stocks, is engaged in by a person, or small group of people, inside the company, who have special knowledge not available to others.
Impact
- By time the product is released, which immediately raises stock values, the companys stocks have already been bought out. In this example of white collar crime, Jeff used insider information to give his friends and family an edge, enabling them to obtain company stocks at the previously low rate. This extreme example of white collar crime shocked the public, increasing awareness …
Overview
- Bribery is committed when a person uses something of value to tempt or influence someone to act in a specific way, to make certain decisions, or to express certain opinions. This is most commonly seen in one person offering to pay money to another person, who is in a position of authority, for the purpose of persuading him to do something, or to refrain from doing somethin…
Plot summary
- DrillTech company is in the process of engineering a horizontal drilling project for a company installing a pipeline that runs through North City. The City Engineering office is dragging its feet on approving the drilling project, bringing up question after question about the project. Mr. Smith, DrillTechs Vice President of hole-drilling, invites Sam, the City Engineer to lunch, during which h…
Early career
- Bernie Madoff, a former non-executive chairman of the NASDAQ stock market, began his own Wall Street investment securities firm in 1960. He employed his brother, his brothers daughter, and two of his brothers sons at the firm, where he worked as Chairman until December 2008, when he was arrested for committing a white collar crime known as a Ponzi scheme. While Mad…
Investigation
- According to the criminal complaint, investigators could document that Madoff had defrauded his clients to the tune of around $65 million, making his scam the largest Ponzi scheme ever recorded. The Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC) put investors actual losses at closer to $18 billion.
Trial
- Madoff claimed that he was the only one responsible for the fraudulent acts, and refused to name any family members or anyone else associated with the con. He was sentenced to 150 years in federal prison. Later that year, however, a number of Madoffs key personnel, including David G. Friehling, Accountant and Auditor, and Frank DiPascali, Finance Chief, later pled guilty to more th…