NCJ Number
99205
Journal
Contemporary Crises Volume: 8 Issue: 1 Dated: (1984) Pages: 1-18
Date Published
1984
Length
18 pages
Annotation
This essay analyzes work-related crime and varying responses to it within the ideological and politico-economic dynamics of advanced capitalism.
Abstract
The concept of the 'hidden economy' refers to economic enrichments that occur outside the legitimate structure, regulations, and laws governing economic transactions in a given society. In capitalist societies, the hidden economy can involve tax evasion, welfare fraud, employee theft, and kickbacks. Persons from different socioeconomic classes have varying opportunities to engage in these offenses because of their work positions and class status. In advanced capitalism, work-related crimes are controlled by both private and public justice. Private justice is administered by company management through security guards, company regulations, and company discipline. Employee theft, for example, generally committed by lower echelon workers, is usually discovered by security guards and results in the dismissal of the employee. Kickbacks perpetrated by white-collar workers at the management level, however, may either be ignored or given minor disciplinary treatment. Kickbacks perpetrated under management policy are usually not exposed to sanctions unless revealed to public law enforcement. Public sanctioning of the economic crimes of corporate management is generally lenient compared to the sanctioning for crimes typical of lower class persons. Thus, both public and private justice tend to be more diligent in detecting and harsh in sanctioning crimes committed by lower class persons than those committed by upper class persons. Fifty-seven notes are listed.