Blue-Collar, White-Collar: Crimes and Mistakes (From Offenders on Offending: Learning About Crime From Criminals, P 205-227, 2010, Wim Bernasco, ed. - See NCJ-232627)

• NCJ Number: 232637
• Author(s): Neal Shover; Ben W. Hunter
• Date Published: 2010
• Length: 23 pages
• Sale Source: Willan Publishing
• Publication Format: Book Chapter
• Publication Type: Issue Overview
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

After briefly documenting the increasing importance of white-collar offenses in Western nations and the cost of such offenses, this chapter compares the demographic characteristics of white-collar offenders and their explanations of their crimes with those of "street-type" offenders.

Abstract

As the term "white-collar crime" is used in this chapter, it refers to crimes committed by offenders whose lives are distinguished by material privilege and respectability. The offenses committed by materially privileged offenders are an increasingly significant part of the overall crime problems around the world. The social background and demographic characteristics of white-collar offenders differ significantly from those of "street-level thieves" and other common criminals. The contrast varies by offense type. Crimes that require advanced education and training in a particular field or technology, such as crimes of international banking, magnify the difference between white-collar and common or "blue-collar" criminals; however, some offenses deemed white-collar crimes require little more than the ability to read, write, and fill out forms, combined with the presentation of oneself as being respectable. Backgrounds of material privilege among white-collar criminals suggest that one of the most significant variables on which the backgrounds of street criminals and white-collar criminals differ is social class. This broadens into wider differences of subculture. In discussing their culpability, white-collar offenders are adept in rationalizing their criminal behaviors to make them appear victims of unreasonable laws that unduly restrict their professional behaviors. This chapter discusses how these differences in demographic characteristics and characterization of their offenses among white-collar offenders and street-level offenders affects research methodology. Attention is given to research participation and investigator strategies. 51 appended autobiographical sources of white-collar offenders and 89 references