NCJ Number
192934
Date Published
1995
Length
219 pages
Annotation
This introductory text presents a definition and typology of white-collar crime and examines its extent, causes, and the impacts of various responses by the criminal justice system.
Abstract
The typology emphasizes that white-collar crimes invariably consist of one of three types of offenses: fraud offenses, offenses against public administration, and regulatory offenses. Individual chapters explain the characteristics of varied white-collar crimes of theft, the elements of the four offenses against public administration, and the distinctions among various kinds of regulatory offenses. The text also uses research literature and government reports to estimate the nature and extent of white-collar crime. It reviews specific causal theories gathered from the criminological and business literature, together with an explanation based on ethical principles. It also assesses the comparative effectiveness of enforcement, prosecution, and defense strategies in the detection and adjudication of white-collar crime and examines outcomes of white-collar crime cases to compare traditional fines and prison sentences to sanctions such as rehabilitation for corporations, professional suspensions, civil remedies, and other methods for resolving the cases. The analysis also considers special issues in white-collar crime as compared to conventional crime, including the role of women in white-collar crime and the criminal infiltration of business by organized crime. The final chapter explores the future of white-collar crime with respect to five basic concerns: (1) the need for public indignation, (2) the proper level of regulation, (3) nonarbitrary selection of prosecution targets, (4) a principled approach to sentencing, and (5) the need for a new personal and corporate ethic. Tables, photographs, questions about case studies, chapter reference notes, and index