NCJ Number
193109
Date Published
2001
Length
16 pages
Annotation
This essay analyzes sentencing data in order to gain an understanding of the relationship between life-course theory and white-collar crime.
Abstract
The life-course perspective is a broad, multidisciplinary intellectual movement. It encompasses ideas and empirical observations from a variety of disciplines, including history, demography, biology, developmental psychology, and sociology. As an emerging paradigm, it is not an explicit theory, but rather a new way of thinking about and studying human lives and development. In its simplest sense, the life course may be defined as "the duration of a person's existence." According to the life-course perspective, aging and developmental change must be viewed as a continuous process that occurs throughout life. The primary objective of this essay is to explore both theoretically and empirically how the life-course approach might be applied to white-collar offenders. It begins by reviewing life-course theory and some of the major findings with respect to crime. Next, using data from a study of sentencing patterns in Federal courts, the authors investigated the lives of a large sample of persons convicted in Federal court. The two primary objectives of the empirical analyses were to compare the social trajectories and criminal careers of those convicted of white-collar offenses compared with those convicted of common street offenses. The findings were interpreted from the perspective of life-course theory. They showed that most white-collar offenders did not begin to offend until they were well into adulthood. Some research suggested that at least some white-collar offenders were responding to dire family circumstances when they decided to become involved in white-collar crime. Other research suggested that changes in motivational stressors arising out of one's occupational position may underlie onset into white-collar crime. By thinking about white-collar crime as a social event that has consequences for the life course as well as causes, researchers may better illuminate the role of social class and social power in shaping societal reactions to crime. 7 tables, 5 notes, and 39 references