NCJ Number
104760
Date Published
1984
Length
19 pages
Annotation
Criminology has failed to recognize or to examine in detail the crucial areas of white-collar, corporate, and governmental criminality as fields of scholarly inquiry.
Abstract
The concepts and definitions of white-collar criminality have been the subjects of debate. In addition, white-collar crimes have traditionally been defined more in terms of the individuals who commit the acts than in terms of the acts themselves. Crimes by persons in places of power and privilege are widespread and have a large impact on society. Nevertheless, criminology has concentrated its theoretical and methodological efforts on street crimes, while referring only in passing to 'upperworld' criminality. Recent events such as the Watergate scandal highlight the significance of high-level criminality while also demonstrating the inadequate response or analysis by criminologists. The Uniform Crime Reports are of no help in studies of high-level criminality, and self-report studies can hardly be expected to work well with sophisticated people who probably want to prevent widespread knowledge of crimes at their levels. Criminology needs to come to terms with the crimes of privilege and must change its assumptions regarding who is or is not a criminal. 53 reference notes and 24 additional references. ABI cfw