Background Information On: White Collar Crime

Non-violence is the word, when most individuals ponder of white collar crime.  It is a criminal offense that is non-violent in nature and usually involves deception, lies, and fraud to obtain business-like or profit-related outcomes.  White-collar crime tends to happen over a substantial period of time leaving evidence along the way, which is generally used is prosecution of a suspect.  White collar crime affects 1 out of every 3 American households, and this is suspected to be even higher, many victims do not report the crime; they fear nothing will be done to help his/her case against the suspect (Einstein Law, 2008).  A variety of white collar crimes are committed within the United States, and most individuals feel they have not been a victim, when evidence will show they had.  White collar crimes vary in seriousness, such as “...embezzlement, bribery, larceny, extortion, fraud, price fixing, racketeering, computer fraud, obstruction of justice, perjury, securities and commodities law violations, and environmental law violations...” (Einstein Law, 2008).

White collar crime is the leading non-violent crimes committed in the United States.  Victims often feel their lives have been invaded and have no legitimate privacy of their personal lives; this is often true concerning identity theft and bribery.  The victims are loosing the sense of privacy as the offender is gaining their victim’s lose.  Accidents do not occur in white collar crime, the acts are purely driven by greed, potential profit gain, and secrecy (Keel, 2008).  Other characteristics are associated with white collar crime, such as the crime is created over an extended period of time.  The offenders of professional and corporate crimes are rarely ever “prosecuted and convicted”, due to the amount of money it would cost tax payers to convict a white collar criminal (Keel, 2008).  If convicted of a white collar crime, the punishment is usually solved with a money penalty, probation, or a light prison sentence.  

Some white collar crimes can result in accidental injury or even death; depending on the type of corporation, such as a construction company using sub-standard building materials.  If a worker would accidentally die on the job or if an individual lives in an apartment complex built of sub-standard materials, and he/she would die because of a construction building error; these would all be considered white-collar crime.  In most cases it is intentional manslaughter, so the corporation would receive a money penalty or a light prison sentence (Trac Reports, 2009).  

White collar crime is categorized as a non-violent crime involving a potential gain for profit.  Also, it can cause non-intentional physical injury or even accidental death.  Offenders are rarely prosecuted because white collar crime tends to go unnoticed with the amount of violent crimes being committed in the United States.

Web Sites Used/Resources (please give credit to the sources below on the quoted statements within this blog):

TRAC REPORTS.  (2009).  http://trac.syr.edu/tracreports/bulletins/white_collar_crime/monthlyjul09/fil/

http://www.lawyershop.com/practice-areas/criminal-law/white-collar-crimes

Keel, Robert O.  2008.  http://www.umsl.edu/~keelr/200/wcolcrim.html