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Crime and Deviance on a College Campus - The Privilege of Class

NCJ Number
88165
Journal
Humanity and Society Volume: 6 Issue: 3 Dated: (August 1982) Pages: 257-266
Author(s)
S L Hills
Date Published
1982
Length
10 pages
Annotation
Illicit student behavior usually goes unpunished at elite colleges that cater to the middle and upper class white student. This may lead to attitudes conducive to later adult white-collar criminality.
Abstract
Affluent students at 'Preppy University' engage in all sorts of criminal acts, such as 'rape dates,' property damage, burglary and larceny, auto insurance fraud, illicit drug use, drug trafficking, and other deviant behaviors. Their parents are usually unaware of these activities, and university officials either ignore them or fail to condemn them sufficiently. The arrogance of social class and the privileges accorded those with wealth and power appear to protect students at elite colleges. In this sense, college life may prepare some students for white-collar criminality. The article cites cases of deviant acts committed by students.