NCJ Number
77820
Editor(s)
H Edelhertz,
T D Overcast
Date Published
1982
Length
240 pages
Annotation
This report on a 1980 colloquium on white-collar crime contains an overview of the issues and seven papers focusing on specific problems, including corporate violations of the Corrupt Practices Act, the role of the police and regulatory agencies, and interagency cooperation.
Abstract
An introduction outlines major problems facing researchers interested in white-collar crime, describes how colloquium topics were selected, and summarizes individual presentations. An examination of the financial, physical, and moral effects of white-collar crime concludes that damage done to the social fabric through loss of trust in major institutions is more significant than dollar losses. A description of corporate violations of the Corrupt Practices Act sketches the Act's origins, examines its enforcement after the Watergate scandal, and analyzes the actions of one specific violator, Gulf Oil Corporation. Following a discussion of how police could help contain white-collar crime, a paper details several research projects to enhance police effectiveness, focusing on insurance, home-repair, consumer, and welfare fraud. The role of regulation in controlling corporate illegality is assessed, with particular attention to the negotiations necessary to achieve compliance and the discretion of regulatory officials in choosing legal sanctions. Based on an analysis of major business periodicals between 1976 and 1979 and interviews with selected professionals, an informal survey examines attitudes toward white-collar crime. Another paper criticizes the fragmented enforcement efforts of agencies with jurisdiction over white-collar crime and offers suggestions for promoting interagency coordination. The concluding presentation notes that a social and political climate must be produced in which white-collar crime is considered of serious importance. Most papers have references; an index and a bibliography of more than 300 references are provided. A list of the colloquium's participants is appended. For individual papers, see NCJ 77821-7.