WHITE-COLLAR CRIMINALITY (FROM WHITE-COLLAR CRIME OFFENSES IN BUSINESS, POLITICS, AND THE PROFESSIONS REV. ED., 1977, BY GILBERT GEIS AND ROBERT F. MEIER SEE NCJ-40489)

• NCJ Number: 41690
• Author(s): E H SUTHERLAND
• Date Published: 1977
• Length: 12 pages
• Corporate Author: Free Press
• Publication Format: Document
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: *This document is currently unavailable from NCJRS.

Annotation

THIS CLASSIC PAPER, ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN 1940, EXAMINES THE RELATION OF BUSINESS AND CRIME BY COMPARING CRIME IN THE BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL GROUPS TO CRIME IN LOWER SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS GROUPS.

Abstract

DEFINING CRIME BY BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL PERSONS AS 'WHITE-COLLAR' CRIME, THE AUTHOR ARGUES THAT WHITE-COLLAR CRIMINALITY DIFFERS FROM LOWER-CLASS CRIMINALITY PRINCIPALLY IN AN IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CRIMINAL LAW, WHICH SEGREGATES WHITE-COLLAR CRIMINALS ADMINISTRATIVELY FROM OTHER CRIMINALS. THE THEORIES OF THE CRIMINOLOGISTS THAT CRIME IS DUE TO POVERTY OR TO PSYCHOPATHIC AND SOCIOPATHIC CONDITIONS STATISTICALLY ASSOCIATED WITH POVERTY ARE INVALID, THE AUTHOR STATES, BECAUSE: 1) THEY ARE DERIVED FROM SAMPLES WHICH ARE GROSSLY BIASED WITH RESPECT TO SOCIOECOMONIC STATUS; 2) THEY DO NOT APPLY TO THE WHITE-COLLAR CRIMINALS; AND 3) THEY DO NOT EVEN EXPLAIN THE CRIMINALITY OF THE LOWER CLASS, SINCE THE FACTORS ARE NOT RELATED TO A GENERAL PROCESS CHARACTERISTIC OF ALL CRIMINALITY. THE AUTHOR CONCLUDES THAT A THEORY OF CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR WHICH WILL EXPLAIN BOTH WHITE-COLLAR AND LOWER-CLASS CRIME IS NEEDED, AND SUGGESTS ONE SUCH HYPOTHESIS BASED ON THE IDEAS OF DIFFERENTIAL ASSOCIATION AND SOCIAL DISORGANIZATION. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED)...DMC