NCJ Number
199310
Journal
British Journal of Criminology Volume: 43 Issue: 1 Dated: Winter 2003 Pages: 81-101
Date Published
2003
Length
21 pages
Annotation
This paper aims to provide a general theoretical model and a clarified terminology by which profit-driven crimes can be understood in economic rather than sociological terms.
Abstract
The process of understanding profit-driven crimes has long been impeded by the fact that most traditional paradigms are designed to elucidate the "who" and the "why" rather than the "what" and the "how." The author proposes a typology that shifts the focus from actors to actions in a way that differs from, although it is compatible with, the "scripts" and situation crime approaches. Instead of constructing a profit-driven crime as a logical sequence of actions, the proposed typology deconstructs a profit-driven crime into its inherent characteristics; these characteristics differ significantly according to whether a crime is predatory, market-based, or commercial. Among the primary characteristics of these differences are whether transfers of property occur by force, free-market exchange, or fraud; whether those transfers involve the redistribution of wealth, distribution of income, or redistribution of income; whether the crime occurs in a non-business, underground network, or legitimate business setting; and whether the optimal response is restitution, forfeiture, or compensation. This approach of economic analysis of a profit-driven crime also permits crimes to be assessed regarding their impact on national income and economic welfare levels. It assists in separating the primary offense (the illegal acquisition of criminal proceeds) from secondary ones, such as corruption, violence, tax evasion, and money laundering. Moreover, it has implications for the definition and relative seriousness of various profit-driven offenses. 6 tables and 30 references