Differential Association Theory Explain White Collar Crime

In a looking glass of a sociologist, we can see white collar crime in our everyday world. When it presents itself; the victims are left hurt and the rest in awe of their awful actions. White Collar Crime is defined as “White collar crime overlaps with corporate crime because the opportunity for fraud, bribery, insider trading, embezzlement, computer crime, and forgery is more available to white-collar employees.” stated by James Henslin. White Collar Crime can be seen in the Libor Scandal, as a prime example.

The strain theory is the perfect explanation for a person or organization to commit white-collar crime(s). White-collar crimes are usually committed by people earning a middle to upper class income that have the opportunity and educational skills necessary to engage in this type of criminal behavior. The pursuit of obtaining the American dream has captivated people in our society to a point that whatever means possible to achieve and maintain this dream must be explored. Americans are fascinated with material goods. Musicians constantly write lyrics and singing in videos depicting wealthy lifestyles showing mansions and exotic vehicles along with a throng of half naked women around them. Television commercials subconsciously send messages of how certain material goods instill a

By the definition of relative deprivation theory alone I can answer the question with a yes. College educated, high economic status workers can be envies’ of other people just as easy as the next person. They also can feel deprived of something to which they feel entitled to. Maybe the reason they do some of the crimes are different than others but they do the crime just make themselves feel equal or maybe to bring the other person down a level to show them that the person is really not that much better than themselves. I can think of two different types of crimes that a white collar crime could happen. First being that a working has been with a company for many years and fells he has showed them no reason not to give them a raise or

This essay will outline how crime theories are able to assist in recognizing the causes of criminal activity, as well as demonstrating two criminological theories to two particular crimes. Overviews of trends, dimensions and victim/offenders characteristics of both crime groups will be specified. The two particular crimes that will be demonstrated throughout this essay are; Violent Crime (focusing on Assault) being linked with social learning theory and White Collar crime (focusing on terrorism) being linked to General Strain theory. In criminology, determining the motive of why people commit crimes is crucial. Over the years, many theories have been developed and they continue to be studied as criminologists pursue the best answers in eventually diminishing certain types of crime including assaults and terrorism, which will be focused on.

as a general concept, social learning theory has been applied to the many different fields of social science to explain why certain individuals develop motivation to commit (or abstain from) crime and develop the skills to commit crime through the people they associate with. Social Learning Theory (SLT) is one of the most frequently looked at theories in the criminology field. This theory was introduced by Ronald L. Akers as a reformulation of Edwin H. Sutherland 's (1947) differential association theory of crime meld with principles of behavior psychology (Bradshaw, 2011). Akers retained the concepts of differential association and definitions from Sutherland 's theory, but conceptualized them in more behavioral terms and

White collar crime is often associated with crimes committed within businesses. These include different forms of fraud such as tax fraud, welfare fraud, money laundering, and property crime (Simpson & Benson, 2009: 42). These forms of white collar crime often have a huge impact on the welfare of the society in profound ways. For instance, according to an article authored by McGrath, a company that suffers losses from fraud must make up for this loss by for example raising the prices of its products. Hikes in prices would mean that consumers would be required to dig dipper into their pockets thus affecting their finances. The loss from fraud could also make the affected company to take drastic measures such as layoffs or implementing salary cuts for the employees (McGrath, n.d).

White-collar crimes are just as prevalent today as ordinary street crimes. Studies show that criminal acts committed by white-collar criminals continue to increase due to unforeseen opportunities presented in the corporate world, but these crimes are often overlooked or minimally publicized in reference to criminal acts on the street. Many street crimes are viewed as unnecessary, horrendous crimes because they are committed by lower class citizens, whereas white collar crimes are illegal acts committed by seemingly respectable people whose occupational roles are considered successful and often admired by many (Piquero, 2014). These views often allow white collar crimes to “slip through the cracks” and carry lesser charges or punishment.

Edwin H. Sutherland is given credit for introducing the term white collar crime during the late 1930’s. However, in today’s times there is still confusion on the specific definition of what qualifies as a white collar crime and how it should be defined. In addition, there are key differences between conventional crimes and white collar crime in age, race, class, and other various factors. The media has added to these differences by portraying these two crimes quite differently. In regards to Sutherland, I found his study on 70 of the largest U.S. manufacturing, mining, and mercantile corporations and their wrongdoings. Sutherlands study confirmed that 97 percent of these corporations were criminal recidivists. Yet, in these corporations view

In 2016 alone, there were over 200,000 arrests made involving white collar crimes (UCR, 2016). Although white collar crime makes up less than 1% of all arrests made, it can cost its victims upwards of trillions of dollars in fiscal damages each year (ACFE, 2014). Despite its detrimental cost to its victims, very few theories are capable of explaining why white-collar crime takes place. General strain theory is one of the few theories capable of explaining the phenomenon of white collar crime, naming the presence of negative stimuli and goal blockage, among other factors, as central causes of criminality, despite the background or demographic of the offender. In The Wolf of Wall Street, Jordan Belfort grew up in a middle-class family, and turned

Certain theories have been discussed in the textbook and other readings for the purpose of explaining the crimes of white-collar. One of the theories under discussion is the strain theory that explains more of the reasons as to why such crimes happen. White collar crime is the violated position of trust done by someone whose main role is formally related to that of another person for personal gain or advantage. General strain theory on white collar crimes is a criminological theory

What Kinds of Problems do White Collar and Corporate Crime Pose for Explanations of Criminality

Another theory is that of learning theory which suggests that criminal behavior and, therefore, white-collar crime is learned through those who legitimize these acts. However, our society as a whole has traditionally condemned the concept of illegal acts, including white-collar crime. Why and, more importantly, how does the voice of a few

White collar crime is a serious issue in the United States. White-collar crime is “a crime committed by a person of respectability and high social status in the course of his occupation” (cornell.edu). Examples of such offenses include bribery, credit card fraud, insurance fraud, bank fraud, blackmail, extortion, forgery, securities fraud, tax evasion, embezzlement, repair scams, Ponzi and pyramid schemes. These non-violent crimes are responsible for an estimated $250 billion to $1 trillion in economic damages each year (Martinez). Individuals who commit white collar crimes have an increased likelihood to experience injustice compared to those who commit a street crime as noted in multiple studies detailed in various scholarly articles. Also, street criminals have a greater chance of getting caught in their wrongdoings versus white-collar criminals. Those who commit white collar crime make their decisions based on the philosophy or idea that their actions have low risk and a high reward. We face a dilemma in the United States because white-collar criminals are treated with minimal, inequitable punishment due to their social status, whereas the street criminals are treated with the correct, impartial punishment.

Social Learning Theory and Neutralization can be useful explanations for white collar crimes. Operant Conditioning first identified by B.F. Skinner, suggests that changing a behavior is determined by the use of reinforcement (increase the likelihood the behavior will be repeated), punishment (decreases the likelihood the behavior will be repeated), and a neutral operant (neither increase of decrease the likelihood of the behavior being repeated). In order to reinforce the behavior positively an individual would require a reinforcement that the individual feels is rewarding. In most white collar crimes money is the reinforcer or incentive, whether that is for the individual or the group. Psychologically, white collar criminals share the same

White Collar Crime by Edwin Sutherland, published in 1949, is a study in the theory of criminal behaviour. Sutherland states that this book is an attempt to reform the theory of criminal behaviour only, not to reform anything else. And although it may include implications for social reforms, this is not the objective of the book. Sutherland define white collar crime as ‘a crime committed by a person of respectability and high social status in the course of his occupation’ (pp. 9). He adds that it excludes many crimes of the upper class, such as murder, intoxication, and adultery, because these are not usually part of their occupational procedures. He goes on to describe white collar crime as being similar to juvenile delinquency in the sense of the stigma generated from each crime. In both of these crimes the procedures of criminal law are altered so as not to attach stigma to the offenders. Finally, Sutherland writes that crimes are committed across all social classes, not just people in lower classes or living in poverty, contrary to popular belief at the time of publication.