White-Collar Crime - Appendix B (From National Strategy for Containing White-Collar Crime, P 119-131, 1980, Herbert Edelhertz and Charles H Rogovin, ed. - See NCJ-72804)

• NCJ Number: 72811
• Author(s): H Edelhertz
• Date Published: 1980
• Length: 13 pages
• Sale Source: D C Heath and Co
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Statement presented at the Hearings of the House Subcommittee on Crime To Examine the Subject of White-Collar Crime

Annotation

The nature of white-collar crime, past and present efforts to control it, and recommendations for developing a national strategy of containment are presented in this statement of the Director of the Batelle Law and Justice Study Center before the House subcommittee on crime.

Abstract

White-collar crime is a widespread pattern of antisocial behavior that is financially or materially motivated and affects personal, business, and governmental transactions at local, national, and international levels. It can take the form of ad-hoc violations (e.g., tax fraud), abuses of trust (e.g., embezzlement), collateral business crimes (e.g., antitrust violations), and con games (e.g., charity frauds). These crimes are committed at every level of society and in every area of activity. Their impact can be characterized in dollar terms, and in terms of the impact on people, on the quality of life, and on the public trust in the government and its institutions, all of which are more significant than financial loss. In fact, the corruption of government and its functions is a major white collar crime impact. Detection, investigation and prosecution of white collar crime operate under constraints that derive from problems of legal jurisdiction, lack of resources, and enforcement policies. For example, consumer protection is uncoordinated on the Federal level, with responsibilities placed in numerous agencies and departments which often perform conflicting duties of policing as well as assuring the economic health and public confidence in the enterprises being monitored. An effective Federal policy against white collar crime should therefore involve setting and enforcing standards of integrity in the operation and conduct of Federal business internally and externally. Reorganization of detection, investigation, and prosecution is necessary. Legislative changes should make white-collar crime unprofitable and provide resources to Federal, State and local law enforcement agencies. Analysis and rationalization of the legal and enforcement structures, disincentives to successful execution and concealment of white-collar crime, and remedies for the victims of such crime should be the major areas of concern for this subcommittee.