NCJ Number
162025
Journal
Crime and Delinquency Volume: 42 Issue: 2 Dated: (April 1996) Pages: 244- 256
Date Published
1996
Length
13 pages
Annotation
The efforts of businesses to prevent employee theft and the effectiveness of these strategies are reviewed.
Abstract
Crime against businesses totals an estimated $90 billion, most of which is due to employee theft and other forms of misconduct. As a result, corporations have established prevention and self-help strategies to combat crime in the workplace. The consensus is that strategies that stop shrinkage before it starts are more effective than programs based on detection after the crime occurs. The shift in emphasis over the past few years from arrest and prosecution to prevention and deterrence seems to be producing positive results. One study revealed that companies that used theft hotlines, preemployment drug testing, and preemployment integrity testing had below- average shrinkage rates compared with companies that did not use hotlines or employee testing. Another researcher has noted that the increase and pervasiveness of private policing and contract security is related to the reality that much public life now occurs in privately owned places. However, mistrust, increased surveillance in work settings, and making informing commonplace may lead to further alienation among workers, contributing to an atmosphere resting on trust rather than suspicion. Corporate needs and interests might be better served by creating an atmosphere based on trust and meeting the needs of workers in a fair, judicious, and equitable way. 46 references