NCJ Number
175253
Date Published
1998
Length
276 pages
Annotation
This first major study of white-collar crime prosecutions by local governments combines quantitative data on cases with qualitative information on the procedural and legal constraints facing local prosecution of corporate crime, with attention to how local prosecutors respond to corporate crime within a community context.
Abstract
The study used a multimethod strategy that combined survey, archival, and interview data. To learn about the extent of the corporate crime problems as perceived by local prosecutors, the authors conducted a national mail survey of local prosecutors in the spring of 1988. The survey data were supplemented by merging it with archival data on population, employment, income, local government finances, and crime for each jurisdiction in the sample. These data permitted the measurement of selected dimensions of the community context in which local prosecutors operate and provided a more informed empirical view of their actions. After the survey and preliminary analysis were completed, the authors conducted field research in four jurisdictions with special units for white-collar, economic, or corporate crime in the fall of 1988 and the spring of 1989. Findings from the survey data focus on the basic features of prosecutors' attitudes and activities regarding corporate crime, such as the number and types of prosecutions they typically conduct, their attitudes toward corporate offenders, their views on the helpfulness of other agencies, and a host of other issues. With the archival data, the authors investigated how activity against corporate crime varied across communities and regions of the country. This contextual analysis addressed how community characteristics influenced the general level of activity against corporate crime and the use of the control network strategy. Finally, the field studies provided insight into the world and culture of the local prosecutor. Recommendations are offered for improving local responses to corporate crime. 220 references, chapter notes and tables, and a subject index