E.H. Sutherland: White Collar Crime

E.H. Sutherland uncontaminating Collar CrimeWhat atomic number 18 more than or less of the psyche elements of E.H. Sutherlands contribution to the register of innocence ruff shame? What atomic number 18 more or less of the limitations? What factors confabulatem to pack contributed to Sutherlands interest in ashen mite aversion and to the relative disinterest of virtu everyy other criminologists?E.H. Sutherland is widely considered the most of import contributor to Ameri rear end criminology in the nations history. Among his m each contributions, Sutherland is credited with coining the term uninfected nail detestation, formulating the possibility of differential association, and contributing extensively to the study and verbal expression of laws concerning sexual psychopaths (Friedrichs, 2007). Sutherland differentiated himself from other professionals of his time because rather than cerebrateing his perspirations on explaining lower-class illegality, he soug ht to offer guidance and understanding on the criminality of middle-and upper-class masses.Among Sutherlands inspirations was the work of E.A. Ross (1907) Sin and Society An Analysis of last mentioned Day Iniquity (Geis and Goff 1987).the criminaloid the occupation slice who act exploitative, if non necessarily il level-headed, acts out of an uninhibited desire to maximize clams, all the while hiding merchantman a faade of respectability and piety. Ross regarded these criminaloids as guilty of moral impassibility and held them directly responsible for unnecessary deaths of consumers and workers.Building on the research of Ross and others in the criminology field, Sutherland formulated his theory of differential association. He came to believe that his theory of differential association, which attributed criminality to a learning process, was precisely the type of familiar theory that could usefully explain both lower-class and upper-class curse (Friedrichs, 2007).The pr imary recorded use of the term clear collar crime was in Sutherlands landmark book entitled, White Collar Crime (1939). The book brings to the pass the prevalence of criminal activity in around of the erectst companies in the country. White Collar Crime focuses on the 70 largest U.S. manufacturing, mining, and mer stick outtile flocks with respect to the legal finishs a agnizest them and the pervasiveness of immoral and frustrate business practices in the corporations (Friedrichs, 2007). Sutherlands research showed that 97% of the corporations were recidivists. That is, when they were caught and punished, they committed more crime. That comp ars to 50% or so of the individuals who commit new crime after being released from prison (Friedrichs, 2007 p. 2). In his book, Sutherland flierd that corporate officials snarl contempt for the law, and didnt hope laws to be passed to control their calumnious behavior they didnt want the laws en hauld and they didnt want to be punishe d personally if caught (Friedrichs, 2007).Although Sutherlands book and theories were seen as an important step in the right direction in toll of recognizing sinlessness collar crime and emphasizing the need for its enforcement, his theories did control some limitations. Among the shortcomings was his general label of uninfected collar crime to all crimes concerning a corporation. Sutherland failed to differentiate between the crime done by whiten-collar employees against the corporation, and the crime done by the corporation acting as an individual society (Young, 1989). Friedrichs (2007) listed several other shortcomingsSutherland all overemphasized an individualistic framework (and hearty-psychological factors) and largely ignored arrogate onionate structural factors (e.g., capitalism, profit rates, and business cycles). He failed to make clear-cut distinctions among white collar crimes, and he did not adequately appreciate the cultivate of corporations over the legis lative and regulatory processes.Which social developments may wee contributed to a social performance against white collar crime, and which factors continue to act as constraints against any such movement? at that place have been a number of factors in the last century which have contributed to a social movement against white collar crime. The stock market crash of 1929 marked the start of the commodious Depression and a renewed assault on the illegal activities of corrupt businesses, corporations, and politicians a beat the country. During this time of great suffering and unemployment by millions, the horrid business practices of many corporations were seen as being unethical. Many of these corporations formed their business models that were touch on profit at the expense of the workers, customers, and the country. Awareness of WCC and the public movement against it really came to the forefront again during the nineteen-seventies. The seventies saw a slump in public confidence of elected officials and businesses alike because of events such as the Vietnam War, the Watergate crimes of the Nixon White House, and some amply-profile cases of corporate misconduct (Friedrichs, 2007).The biggest factor in my view, which has contributed to ken and action against WCC, is the give-and-take media, and the Internet. Im not necessarily speaking of the nightly news shows of the networks which were the norm in the seventies, eighties, even into the mid-nineties. Im talking just roughly the explosion of short letter news and the Internet which provides 24 hr sources of news and entropy to the public. The round the clock pur courtship by citizenry to gather instruction on important topics and beat another network to the story has led to the husking and release of more important stories and development to the public than ever before.TV personalities and investigative shows such as Bill OReilly, Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck, Dateline, and 60 minutes, and others mak e it their accusation to uncover blatant abuses of power and illegal activity that domiciliate put on citizens around the country. These private citizens with the backing of their networks often uncover information that leads to criminal action taken against individuals, corporations, and politicians. The bottom line is that when citizens are made certain of the corruption and other abuses by goodly race or businesses, they have the power to (and often does) speak out. When citizens speak out, their elected officials should take note as should law enforcement. This chain of events is often the primary factor track to arrests and convictions for acts of white collar crime and other similar instances of fraud, waste, and abuse.The advent of the Internet, cellular phones, and twenty-four hour cable news allows for instant nark to information. plurality whoremaster talk, text, email, and fax information around the globe in an instant. The information flow allows us to search f or nearly anything at anytime. This accessibility to information has made more people aware of the manner and frequency in which businesses, politicians, and others have ab apply their positions of trust and authority in tack to gain pecuniaryly at the expense of others. In the last decade but the United States has seen some of the biggest companies abide by crashing down because of deceitful business practices knowing to mislead the general public and help the company profit. Companies such as Enron, Adelphia, AOL/Time Warner, and WorldCom (to name a few) are prime examples of companies who have cooked their books to lead on consumers, investors, and the government (Patsuris, 2002).Despite the many factors which work against white collar crime, at that place bequeath always be those corrupt individuals and companies who will seek to profit illegally through lies, deceit, and trickery. These powerful individuals use their wealth and positions of power to influence public off icials into looking the other way or passing laws to returns their interests. This is the biggest hindrance to stamping out white collar crime. The ability of the rich and powerful to corrupt public officials has and will continue to be the driving force which allows this type of illegal behavior to continue.Identify the principal agents who bump white collar crime in contemporary society. What factors motivate people to expose such crime, and what factors inhibit them from doing so? What specific policy measures thunder mug be adopted to encourage exposure of white collar crime?In regards to high level or corporate white collar crime the most presumable method of exposure will come from an stinkpot or whistle-blower from within the business or institution itself. remote sources can contribute to investigations by husking or suspecting wrong doing. Often, these sources will come from the media, consumers, or concerned citizens.The informer will promising be an insider in the company who is involved in the criminal activity in some way. In return for their cooperation with law enforcement, the informer will likely seek compensation of one form or another, they may be given promises of leniency, immunity from prosecution, or a financial advantage (Friedrichs, 2007). some other company insider who is a vital source of information to investigators is Whistle Blowers. These individuals are crucial sources of information needed for the detection, and ultimately the prosecution of many white collar crimes, especially when they are of the governmental and corporate varieties. Another crude perpetrator of white collar crime and also important players in exposing it is through politicians and other elected officials. These officials are generally closely connected with business and community leaders who commit the majority of white collar crime, and as a result may be subject to the allure of money and power.Other sources which can be of assistance in uncov ering instances of white collar crime are from the media, particularly investigative journalists. inquiring journalism can be a pain staking, time consuming, and valuable process. Because of the expense and resources necessary to conduct an in-depth investigation, many smaller newspapers or topical anesthetic television stations are reluctant or unable to sign up them (Friedrichs, 2007). Bigger TV networks or newspapers with strong financial backing and high subscribership or viewers are now the most likely people to break these stories of white collar criminals, particularly when they involve elected officials.There are a number of factors which ultimately govern a persons decision to expose their employers activities, or in many cases deter them from doing so. Some come forward because of their need for self-preservation, or for other altruistic reasons. They may be afraid they will be harmed either financially or forciblely due to the illegal actions of the person or company , or they can olfactory sensation a moral sense to do what is right. The resembling logic holds genuine for not coming forward, due to fear of reprisal and potential for lost income, joke, or physical retaliation or intimidation (Friedrichs, 2007).There can be a number of changes and improvements made to federal and state statutes in order to encourage people to come forward and expose acts of white collar crime. One of the most important and logical measures would be to provide financial protection for a person, because they will likely suffer greatly if they mother an informant against their own company. They will likely have to quit their job or be let go. They will lose pay and put themselves and their family through a great deal of stress if the case is yearn and drawn out in court. I empathise there are regulations in place that provide a whistleblower with a reward of a percentage of the judgment against a company or corporation (Friedrichs, 2007). These laws should be applied to many more cases and when possible the person providing the information should be subsidized during the trial to help them with their bills in return for their assistance. These are just a couple of the general ways in which people can be encouraged to come forward and expose white collar crime.What are some of the specific challenges in studying white collar crime relative to the study of established crime? raft white collar crime be studied scientifically, or does it posit a different approach?White collar crime is ofttimes more difficult to study and investigate than traditional or schematic crime. WCC is generally not openly blatant like most naturalized criminal activity. An officer can walk into a crime scene, see a badly beaten body and know with near certainty that a crime occurred. The same does not hold true if that same officer walks into an office and sees a man in a suit sitting at a desk typing on a computer. The effort necessary (in most cases) to dis cover consequently investigate instances of WCC are outlying(prenominal) greater than most traditional crimes.Among the many difficulties in studying WCC, is the most basic question What exactly is white collar crime? WCC can include such a wide spectrum of actions and activities, encompassing different people, businesses, and physical areas that it is very difficult to define and uncover. Scholars studying WCC may choose to focus on one single aspect much like they would in a conventional crime i.e. homicide investigator, vice, etc This approach can lead to sloppiness and difficulty when attempting to study WCC.Another challenge in studying WCC is the access to research subjects, statistics, and support. Companies will likely be hesitant to allow a research project to be carried out on their company, unless the researcher can show them that it specifically benefits them and their constitution. Statistics on WCC are difficult to come by because as Friedrichs (2007) stated there is no real white collar crime equivalent to uniform crime report data, which exist for conventional crime (p. 33). Researchers must obtain data from a number of sources and agencies then group it so the data can be studied. Finally, it will likely be difficult for a researcher to obtain support from their organization to conduct the WCC research. Large corporate structures and bureaucracies will likely feel that the study will hit too close to home and have some uneasiness when their support is requested (Friedrichs, 2007). Many of these groups are hesitant to get their support because they feel the researcher will bend the data collect to support their own preconceived notion and bias.The experiment, a method of illustrative a positivistic or scientific approach, has to date seldom been used in the study of white collar crime (Friedrichs, 2007 p. 36). The classical experiments of scene specific variables vs. a control group do not necessarily apply when studying white collar cr ime. Experiments of free will and the effects of pressure from superiors or authority figures on a person or group in controlling their actions may have some profit in studying WCC.Critically evaluate the traditional, common claim that the general public perceives white collar crime to be less salutary than conventional crime. What specific methodological questions can be raised about research on this question? Which specific factors have contributed to a harvest-festival in the perception that white collar crime is relatively in effect(p)?I feel that historically the general public at large views white collar crime as less serious because it is not as in your face as conventional crime. People have a fear of being robbed, assaulted, raped, or their children being kidnapped because these crimes are something tangible, they can see, feel, and be scared of. Most people do not invoke up in the morning or walk down the roadway thinking God please dont let a bad man manipulate his companys finances so they appear to have made billions more than they actually did. Most people do not think about the hidden harmful effects that respectable and powerful people can have on them and their lives.I do feel that the current world is that white collar crime is as serious and can overthrow as much if not more damage to all of us than conventional criminal activity. Each of us in our everyday lives feels the harmful effects of WCC, although many of us do not even realize we are suffering the results of these crimes. The impact of these crime are everywhere and they affect each of us, this reality is being felt now, perhaps more so than any time in our recent history. WCC has resulted in higher damages premiums, extra money spent on security in the financial sector, bank fees, lost jobs, companies going bankrupt, higher prices of goods and services, etcOver the years people have come to better understand the direct effects that all aspects of white collar crime have o n them and their loved ones. Peoples lives can be turned upside down simply by a man in a shirt and tie taking a bribe then putting a check in a box to say a product is safe, when in reality it is not. I am 28 years old, in my vivificationtime I have seen numerous stories about recalls of defective or potentially dangerous products ranging from toys, cars, supplements, clothes, to race detergent. Many of these recalls are the results of people ignoring simple safety inspections and reports. Bernie Madoff stole billions of dollars from investors who apprehension they were investing with a respectable business man. Enron overstated their companies worth by more than $1.5 billion. They ultimately went bankrupt with many of their executives in prison and thousands of employees and investors losing their life savings (Net Industries, 2010). Cases such as these are prime examples of why the American public now view white collar crime as serious if not more so than conventional crime.