The Origins Of White Collar Crime

     The term, white collar crime, was first used in a speech  in 1939 by Edwin Sutherland, a sociology professor. He was also the author of the first book on this type of crime, aptly named "White Collar Crime". Sutherland's definition focused on the status and societal class of the person who committed it, rather then the type of crime.  He defined it as; "a crime committed by a person of respectability and high societal status in the course of his occupation".  This definition mixes the concept of crime with the legal concept. There isn't a staute or court decision that involves respect or social status. This is indeed a narrow definition of a legal crime, any decent defense attorney could blow cannon holes through it. So in summary, Sutherland's definition included two aspects, an upper social class and that the crime took place in the context of occupation.

     Sutherland's definition eventually evolved into variations of the original concept; the type of offender, the type of offense, and in terms of organizational culture (i.e. organized crime). The Department of Justice's definition is closer to what we now recognize as white collar crime. It is any illegal act by non-physical means, using concealment or guile to obtain money, property, or business advantage. This is a much broader definition, thus encompassing a much broader array of crimes. This definition makes it more difficult to get around as we can see by the increase in the prosecution of white collar criminals. While there have been more white collar criminals being held accountable for their actions of late, there is still an unbalance between them and their "street" criminal counterparts.

published 2 years ago

janiek13

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