Class

• what is white collar crime?


  crimes which are financially motivated mostly by people in positions of power

  eg. fraud, money laundering, tax evasion etc
• What are the 3 types of white collar crime?

  1. occupational crime: employees commit crime in job
  2. corporate crime: business motivated by desire to increase profits
  3. state crime: carried out by governmet
• why are stats of White-collar crimes less?

  • don't know a crime has taken place
  • difficult to investigate it
  • inland revenue can handle white-collar crimes outside of police (bribes)
• Box (Marxist)


  • white-collar crime = social construction of crime
  • law is a tool for the rich to help themselves
  • those in power criminalise undesirable actions (W/C focused)
• Tombs 1999 (Marxist)


  Unlawful workplace deaths HUGELY outweigh recorded homicides

  workplace crimes include:

  • fatal injuries
  • asbestos & lung disease
  • driving in course of employment

  (things we consider health & safety -> actually murder)
• Goldstraw-White 2010


  • conducted semi-structured interviews with 11 offenders convicted on white-collar crimes
  • offenders don't see themselves as 'real criminals'
  • distinguish themselves from other inmates
  • many felt morally justified in what they had done (hadn't hurt anyone)
• Freidrichs 1996


  • argues risk plays large role in white-collar crimes (appealing)
  • argues decision; weighing up risks of cutting corners against additional profits are central to a business
• Psychological explanations


  • personality based approaches
  • certain personalities are linked to success in business & criminality
  • psychopathic tendencies thrive in competition led environments

  eg. ambitious people more likely to take risks without caring abt people in their way
• 'Differential association theory' -> Sutherland


  • explains crime mathematically 'pro-crime vs anti-crime'
  • explains why white-collar criminals are not likely to see it as deviant

  eg. if a person is around people who think crime is ok, they will start to believe it is ok