NCJ Number
94653
Date Published
1984
Length
25 pages
Annotation
This chapter discusses a number of preliminary issues pertaining to the study and control of corporate crime.
Abstract
The first issue discussed concerns the concept of corporate crime. There must be a distinction between two types of white-collar crime; that committed for personal gain by individuals in the course of their occupations (occupational crime); and true corporate crimes, committed by the corporations to benefit the organization. The second issue concerns the seriousness of corporate crime. Its costs may exceed the costs of street crime, despite arguments to the contrary. The third issue concerns whether or not corporate crime is true crime. The decision to call certain types of crime corporate crime is a moral and political decision. In recognition of the power corporations have to influence legal definitions and enforcement decisions, there should be certain nonlegal definitions of corporate crime. These new definitions would bring corporate crime into the scope of criminological theory and lessen the corporations' moral standings. The fourth and final issue addresses the extent of public concern with corporate crime. The public regards corporate crimes, particularly those with physical impact, as serious as street crimes. Five notes and 107 references are included.