Crimes of the powerful Flashcards
Abuse of trust
High-status professionals occupy positions of trust and respectability. They are trusted with our information, health and finances. This however gives these professionals more scope to commit a crime in the form of fraudulent claims to insurance companies
Sutherlands view on the abuse of trust
White-collar crime is more dangerous to society that street crime as it promotes distrust of basic social institutions, undermining the fabric of society
Why are crimes of the powerful invisible
Media give limited coverage to corporate crime, reinforcing the stereotype that crime is a mainly working-class phenomenon. They also sugarcoat corporate crime as technical infringements rather than actual crimes. Embezzlement becomes ‘accounting irregularities’ etc.
Underreporting - the victim of corporate crime is usually society as a whole rather than an individual. Therefore, individuals are unaware they have been victimised, and even when aware they do not see it as a real crime like they may see shoplifting.
Sutherland DA
Crime is learned behaviour. Associate with criminals, become a criminal. Therefore if a companies culture justifies crime, employees are socialised into criminality.
Techniques of neutralisation
Sykes and Matza
Sykes and Matza
Individuals can deviate more easily if they can justify their behaviour and win moral arguments i.e. ‘they should have read the small print, its not my fault’
Labelling theory as an explanation for corporate crime
Nelken
Nelken - de labelling
Businesses have the power to avoid being labelled by being able to afford expensive lawyers and accountants to help them avoid activities they are involved in and are therefore not labelled criminal