2.2 Crimes of the Powerful

• What are 2 criticisms of corporate crime?

  Strain theory & marxism over-predict amounts of business crime

  Doesn't explain crime in non profit organisations
• How can strain theories explain corporate crime?

  (Box)- If a company can't achieve its goal of maximising profit, they may employ illegal means
• Why is corporate crime 'invisible'? (3)

  Media: limited coverage of corporate crime and over reporting of WC crime, reinforces stereotypes and using language which hides corporate crimes. eg workplace deaths are "accidents" rather than neglect

  Complex: need highly qualified and specialised officers to research

  Under reporting: victims may be unaware that they are victims eg not aware that ingredients is wrong on packaging, may not even regard it as a real crime if its from a big company or they feel powerless against their power
• How can doctors abuse trust?

  Get drugs in the name of patients to cause harm
• How can accountants & lawyers abuse trust?

  By working for criminal organisations
• What does Carabine et al argue about trust?


  High status professionals occupy positions of trust and respectability. Carrabine notes, we entrust them with our finances, our health, our security and our personal information. However, their position and status gives them the opportunity to abuse this trust
• What does Tombs say about costs of corporate crime?


  It has enormous costs: physical, environmental & economic

  Not just the work of a few 'bad apples', but is widespread, routine & pervasive
• What did Sutherland fail to do?

  Distinguish between two types of crime

  Occupational (committed by employees for personal gain & often against the organisation they work for)

  Corporate (committed by employees for their organisation)
• What was Sutherland's aim?

  To challenge the stereotype that crime is purely a lower class phenomenon
• What is Sutherland's definition of white collar crime


  Crime committed by people of high social position in the course of their occupations
• What did Reiman & Leighton say in their book 'the rich get richer & the poor get prison'


  The more likely a crime is to be committed by the middle class, the less likely it is to be treated as an offence