PERSONALITY OF THE WHITE COLLAR CRIMINAL AS SEEN BY THE LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY (FROM WHITE COLLAR CRIME DETERMINATION OF LIABILITY 1978, BY HANS GOPPINGER AND HANS WALDER - SEE NCJ-56982)

• NCJ Number: 56986
• Author(s): N SCHMID
• Date Published: 1978
• Length: 11 pages
• Corporate Author: P O B 1304
• Publication Format: Document
• Language: German
• Country: West Germany (Former)
• Note: *This document is currently unavailable from NCJRS.

Annotation

PERSONALITY CHARACTERISTICS OF THE WHITE-COLLAR CRIMINAL IN SWITZERLAND ARE ANALYZED ON THE BASIS OF DOCUMENTS RELATING TO 100 ZURICH OFFENDERS FROM 1960 TO 1974.

Abstract

POPULAR IMAGES OF WHITE-COLLAR OFFENDERS ARE IN NEED OF REASSESSMENT BECAUSE THESE IMAGES ARE CONVENIENTLY USED BY OFFENDERS AND THEIR LAWYERS AS DEFENSE ARGUMENTS AND BECAUSE IMPROVEMENT OF PREVENTIVE AND REPRESSIVE MEASURES ARE ONLY POSSIBLE WITH INSIGHT INTO THE OFFENDERS' ACTUAL PERSONALITIES. TYPES OF WHITE-COLLAR CRIME MOST PREVALENT IN SWITZERLAND (FRAUD--65 OFFENDERS, EMBEZZLEMENT, MISMANAGEMENT INVOLVING BREACH OF TRUST, USURY, AND DOCUMENT FORGERY) DIFFER SOMEWHAT FROM THOSE COMMON IN NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES (CRIMES RELATING TO TAXES, SUBSIDIES, AND FOREIGN TRADE). CRIME FORMS AND CRIMINAL PENALTIES DEPEND ON LOCAL CIRCUMSTANCES, AND CHANGES IN LAWS GOVERNING PAYMENT AND INVESTMENTS DURING THE SIXTIES HAVE MODIFIED SWISS CRIME FORMS. MOST WHITE-COLLAR CRIMINALS HAVE LITTLE IN COMMON: ON THE AVERAGE. THEY ARE 40.7 YEARS OLD, MALE, AND MARRIED, BUT WITH DISRUPTED FAMILY CIRCUMSTANCES. NEITHER HIGH INTELLIGENCE AND EDUCATION LEVELS NOR SEXUAL DEVIANCE ARE CHARACTERISTIC. AROUND HALF THE GROUP EXAMINED HAVE PREVIOUS CONVICTIONS, AND HALF ARE IN DEBT. OFFENDERS MAY, HOWEVER, BE DIVIDED INTO GROUPS ACCORDING TO MOTIVATION. ONE-TIME OFFENDERS (49) ARE GENERALLY ATTEMPTING (1) TO RESOLVE A FINANCIAL BIND CAUSED BY PROFESSIONAL FAILURE, SPECULATION, OR GAMBLING; OR (2) TO GET RICH WITH A SINGLE CRIMINAL SCENE. HABITUAL OFFENDERS (51) CAN (1) BELONG TO AN INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL UNDERWORLD WHICH PREYS ON INEXPERIENCED INDIVIDUALS, IN WHICH CASE THE OFFENDERS TYPICALLY HAVE FAMILY DISTURBANCES AND HAVE THEMSELVES BEEN VICTIMS OF WHITE-COLLAR CRIMES, (2) FALL INTO THE CATEGORY OF CONFIDENT MEN WHO LIVE FROM FRAUDULENT DEALINGS AND USUALLY RECOVER RAPIDLY AFTER ANY FAILURE, OR (3) ARE THE USUAL TYPE OF RECIDIVISTS WHO WILL BE ARRESTED AGAIN FOR OTHER CRIMES OF A DIFFERENT NATURE. --IN GERMAN. (KMD)