White Collar Crime: The Effects and Punishments

White Collar crime has been a hot topic since the 20th century. Edwin Sutherland introduced the term at the fourth annual meeting of the Sociological Association. At this meeting he explained who this type of criminal is and what the criminal does for a living. Sutherland developed a theory to try and fit this type of criminal. The theory is differential association. There are four different pieces of evidence to understand the theory. White collar crime ranges from Embezzlement to Mortgage Fraud. This paper will explain several incidents which are involved with white collar crime and how it hurts many individuals from families to businesses. The sentencing guidelines help convict criminals. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act helped add on top of the sentencing guidelines to help convict white collar criminals since they fall into a different category from a violent criminal. Different Variations of White Collar Crime
Everyone has their own interpretation of what white collar crime is defined as. There has not been a steady meaning to interpret these illegal acts. The Federal Bureau of Investigations has defined white-collar crime as “. . . those illegal acts which are characterized by deceit, concealment, or violation of trust and which are not dependent upon the application or threat of physical force or violence. Individuals and organizations commit these acts to obtain money, property, or services; to avoid the payment or loss of money or services; or to secure personal or business advantage.” (USDOJ, 1989, p. 3.) (http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/whitecollarforweb.pdf) Black’s Law Dictionary defines white collar crime as a nonviolent crime involving cheating or dishonesty in commercial matters. Currently, the definition of white-collar crime is still hotly contested within the community of experts. Although there is a multitude of variations, there appears to be three major orientations: those that define white-collar crime by the type of offender (e.g., high socioeconomic

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