White Collar Crime Flashcards
Sutherland - white collar crime definition
Sutherland defines white collar crime as ‘crime committed by a person of respectability and high social status’ in the course of their job, i.e. managers, professionals such as solicitors, accountants and doctors, directors of companies etc.
Croall - what white collar crime entails
Croall notes that such crime is normally carried out whilst employed in a particular role and often involves the abuse of authority, position and trust in order to carry out and conceal the crime. She lists fraud, accounting offences, tax evasion, insider dealing and computer crime as typical white collar crimes.
Croall - companies commit crime
Croall notes that companies also commit crimes. In other words, a board of directors or a team of managers actively choose to break the law in order to financially benefit the company, i.e. by increasing their profits or the value of shares in the company.
Workplace deaths statistics
Between 1965 and 1995 in the UK, 25,000 people were killed at work. 70% of these deaths were due to employer’s negligent violation of health and safety laws. However, it is rare that employers are subject to criminal prosecution because the Health and Safety Executive, a civil agency, lacks the power to impose the criminal sanctions that might be imposed on an individual killer.
Reiner - money as the main source of status
Reiner notes that in the 21st century money has become the main source of status. Unfortunately this aspiration is likely to lead to anomie because it cannot be satisfied – as Reiner notes ‘there is no intrinsic end-point to the pursuit of monetary success –it is always possible to chase more’.
