NCJ Number
44459
Journal
Monatsschrift fuer Kriminologie und Strafrechtsreform Volume: 60 Issue: 5 Dated: (OCTOBER 1977) Pages: 265-278
Date Published
1977
Length
14 pages
Annotation
THEORIES ON WHITE COLLAR CRIME AND STRATEGIES FOR PREVENTING SUCH CRIME ARE DISCUSSED.
Abstract
CLASSICAL THEORIES OF CRIME IN GENERAL HAVE SUFFERED FROM A LACK OF EMPIRICAL VERIFICATION. AS THERE IS NO ESTABLISHED EXPLANATION FOR ECONOMIC CRIME, PARTIAL THEORIES IN THIS AREA CAN BE MORE SUCCESSFULLY COMPARED THAN IN OTHERS TO ESTABLISH A 'MIDDLE RANGE' CRIME THEORY. THEORIES UNDER DISCUSSION ARE MERGENS INTERPRETATION OF THE CRIMINAL'S PERSONALITY, EXPANDED TO INCLUDE SUCH FACTORS AS DIFFERENTIAL SOCIALIZATION; THE ANOMIE THEORY OF DIVERGENCE BETWEEN INDIVIDUAL GOALS AND THE MEANS AVAILABLE IN THE SOCIAL STRUCTURE; APPROACHES INVOLVING THE PSYCHOLOGY OF LEARNING, I.E., LEARNING FROM THE EXAMPLE OF OTHERS; AND THE LABELING APPROACH, WHICH HOLDS THAT THE SOCIAL CONTEXT DEFINES CRIME. NO ONE OF THESE THEORIES IS ADEQUATE IN ITSELF TO EXPLAIN ECONOMIC CRIMES. WITHOUT EITHER AN ACCEPTED THEORY OF WHITE COLLAR CRIME OR EVEN AN APPROPRIATE DEFINITION ON WHICH TO BASE A THEORY, STRATEGIES FOR COMBATTING ECONOMIC CRIME ARE ROOTED IN SPECIFICALLY CRIME-ORIENTED PERSPECTIVES: EXTENT OF DAMAGES, DISRUPTION OF THE ECONOMY, THE VICTIM'S SITUATION, AND BREACH OF TRUST. BUT EVEN THESE AREAS DO NOT PROVIDE ADEQUATE CRITERIA FOR DETERMINING CRIME FIGHTING TACTICS. IT IS CONCLUDED THAT A MIDDLE RANGE THEORY OF ECONOMIC CRIME CAN ONLY BE ESTABLISHED BY CRITICAL MULTIFACTOR ANALYSIS OF EMPIRICAL MATERIAL; PARTIAL EXPLANATIONS OF ECONOMIC CRIME COULD EVENTUALLY CONTRIBUTE TO AN OVERALL THEORY OF CRIME. BIBLIOGRAPHY AND NOTES ARE SUPPLIED. --IN GERMAN. (KMD)