Distinguishing Between Street and White-Collar Crime
Street Crime and White-Collar Crime
- First Online: 20 October 2022
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- Christy D. Smith 2
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The examination of criminal behavior has traditionally been the domain of criminal justice and sociology, and scholars in these fields have made important observations about what criminal behavior is, who commits it, and why. Much of the literature focuses on what might be invariably classified as street crime, such as robberies, assaults, and homicide among others, and this research has provided valuable insights into the factors that facilitate this kind of criminal behavior. While this scholarship was and continues to be invaluable, researchers began expanding their examination of crime and criminal attributes beyond street crime to include crimes committed by executives and organizations, which they termed white-collar crime. Through the contributions of all of these various scholars, there is now a robust literature from which to begin to understand the lives and minds of both street-level and white-collar criminals.
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Smith, C.D. (2022). Distinguishing Between Street and White-Collar Crime. In: White-Collar Crime and the Public Sector. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-12567-6_3
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White-collar crime vs. street crime essay
To start with, both street crime and white-collar crime have the major consequences. Robberies, thefts, and vandalism are considered to be serious crimes committed every day in the streets. Anyone can become the victims of street criminals. Often these crimes are committed under the influence of alcohol or drugs since ‘crime culture consists of a group or groups of individuals who live outside societal norms’ (Lifers, 2004, p. 57). As a result, street crime is one of the most dangerous types of crimes. This is due to the fact that the situation on the streets of big and small settlements creates a psychological climate for the population living here and contributes to the formation of public opinion about the criminal situation in a particular locality, region, country as a favorable or unfavorable impact on the formation of public opinion about the activities of criminal justice and the government as a whole. In this context, it is evident that the study of the regional aspects of street crime often serves as the determinants of specific criminal manifestations.
The most typical street crimes are the following:
- crimes against life and health (murder, bodily injury);
- crimes against sexual inviolability and sexual freedom (rape);
- crimes against property (theft, robbery, fraud);
- crimes against public security and public order (hooliganism, vandalism, illegal possession of weapons;
- crimes against public health (drug trafficking).
In general, it is easier to prepare and to hide the committed crime in the city because the offenders can have more opportunities to use the proceeds of crime and to dissolve into the crowd of people. The development of the concept of ‘street crime’ has not only theoretical, but also practical significance. It is important to define the street boundaries, where the most typical and relatively resistant variants of criminal behavior can be found. Thus, one of the main elements of the scope of a city street is considered to be the predominant anonymity of communication and human behavior. Street criminals are basically young people with anti-social behavior formed on a background of alcohol or drugs, leading a parasitic way of life. Commonly ‘they have their own values, codes, practices, and principles that are oftentimes in direct opposition to the larger society’ (Lifers, 2004, p. 57). As a consequence, typical motives for street crime are to meet the need for purchasing alcoholic beverages or drugs.
In addition to the above-mentioned information, it is possible to add that the determination of street crime is characterized by a complex and multi-layered character. In this connection, it is important to address the issues of determination of street crime and pay specific attention to the most important factors, such as the crisis in the economic, cultural, spiritual, legal spheres of today’s society. Consequently, ‘unemployment, racism, and discrimination plays in pushing people toward the criminal underclass,’ and thus, leading a parasitic way of life (Lifers, 2004, p. 57-58). As a result, these processes largely determine those currently existing negative social phenomena, such as alcoholism, drug addiction, vagrancy, etc., which are considered to be the major background in relation to the crime phenomenon.
Given the above, we can understand street crime as a system of crime (against the person, against property, public safety, public order and public health), which is characterized by weak social controls, the passivity of citizens in regard to the prevention and suppression of criminal manifestations and anonymity of subjects of such relations.
Warning street crime can be very effective and efficient when attracting people to prevent this type of crime. The forms of organization of the population may be different: the voluntary militias, which, incidentally, are recreated in most regions of the country, student (youth) operational units, community helpers, wardens and others. Attracting people to policing on the streets, the authorities implement a dual function: on the one hand, they increase the level of social control in the streets, and thereby reduce the potential for committing crimes, and on the other hand, they increase the legal awareness of citizens, the extent of their civil liability, form the right social views, and allow the population to feel their involvement in the work of criminal justice system.
White-collar crime
Talking about white-collar crime, it is possible to say that in most instances this type of crime is financially more cost. It is ‘estimated to cost the United States more than $300 billion annually (Berkeley, 2009, p. 201). However, this does not mean that white-collar crime does not cause harm to the individuals. In fact, it can inflict bodily harm upon people. For example, some corporations can be twice as deadly as a street offender, and thus, white collar crime can be even more dangerous than, for instance, street crime.
White-collar crime is a type of crime carried out on the basis of belonging to a criminal number of persons acting as the representatives of governments, businesses, officers and officials. It is also widely known as fictitious economy (which is part of the informal economy), which refers to illegal activities employed in the formal economy agents associated with a hidden redistribution of legal income. This type of crime can include fraud, corruption, industrial espionage, tax evasion, false bankruptcy and others. This type of crime is considered to be the one that may do the most economic damage to our modern society among all other types of crimes. Also, white-collar crime is a violation of laws for the protection of the environment, bribery of officials in order to obtain lucrative contracts, and other forms of corruption. The multiple ways to deceive consumers in the production of goods, trade and services can also be understood as the types of white-collar crime. However, white-collar crime only in very rare cases becomes the object of criminal repression.
In addition to intentional crimes committed in order to obtain property benefits, ‘white-collar crime’ is characterized by different offenses related to criminal negligence, incompetence, violation of the technology of production, which can be very destructive to the individuals.
The subject of this type of crime must have certain distinct features. The most important feature is one’s professional status, i.e. an official position and the fulfillment of certain administrative functions, as well as a high level of expertise within the field of economic activity. Actually, they are ‘crimes by individuals in prestigious positions’ (Champion, 2011, p. 35). On this basis, we can conclude that the subject of ‘white-collar’ crime is a senior officer or director of a legal entity (a person with some managerial responsibilities). In fact, ‘white-collar criminals have no special personality traits, and argue that these individuals are just ordinary people who view illegal activity as the most reasonable way out of a difficult financial situation’ (Watt, 2012, p. 5). Indeed, those people do not possess special personality patterns or unique characteristics; they are just the ordinary individuals with different prestigious positions and various managerial responsibilities.
Hence, the object of this type of crime is the social relations in the sphere of economic activity and the normal functioning of the business. However, the state itself (represented by the authorities) can also serve as the major object of this type of crime. As a result, if the official organs of state power act as the subject of the economic crime, the damage is caused not only to individuals and institutions, but also to the entire system of state bodies in the form of undermining their authority.
The investigations carried out by the law enforcement authorities usually do not end with the pursuit of practical ends, but on the contrary, perpetrators are brought to administrative responsibility. All the above features make it possible to formulate a clear definition of ‘white-collar’ crime as acquisitive crime being committed by senior officers, directors of legal persons, who possess high social status in the course of one’s occupation and professional activities and aimed at the interests of the state, society, businesses and individuals in the area of economic activity and normal functioning of the business (Berkeley, 2009).
Punishment for both types of crime
Hence, it is possible to conclude that both street crime and white-collar crime have major consequences. Firstly, white-collar offences are understood ‘as equally serious as street crimes’ (Payne, 2012, p. 53) that have almost the same characteristics. However, their punishments are strongly different in many ways. By its nature, white-collar crime is a lot harder to detect because it takes many hours in order to build a case around it and they usually do not involve serious bodily harms or people’s deaths. In addition, they are ‘…difficult to prosecute because the perpetrators have access to sophisticated means to hide their activities and the wrongdoing can be hidden within legitimate economic activity’ (Berkeley, 2009, p. 201). Hence, they are referred to non-violent crimes motivated mainly by financial gain. If we are talking about the priorities, it is necessary to say that the law enforcements agencies are required to focus their particular attention on the violent crimes then, for instance, the property ones. The perfect examples of more violent crimes are street crimes that are understood as more visible. In this case, there are always the victims who have been seriously damaged or wounded. Hence, these crimes are given higher priority to prevent the offenders from committing the same crime again and again. As a result, the need to resolve street crimes and find the perpetrators is of great importance for law enforcement agencies.
Thus, taking the above-mentioned information into consideration, it is possible to draw a conclusion that crime itself that accompanies us everywhere in our everyday lives is one of the main issues, which haunt today’s society. In this case, white-collar crime and street crime are both very serious offences against the individuals and the community as a whole. On a daily basis, people can hear of various rapes, robberies and murders. These particular crimes are called street ones. However, when we are talking about white-collar crime, it is possible to mention about cybercrime, fraud, corruption, false bankruptcy, industrial espionage, tax evasion, and others. As a result, both crimes have their own victims and the effects of these crimes can be very destructive to the community. Both street crime and white-collar crime have major consequences. They both can inflict bodily harm upon people causing harm to the individuals. However, their punishments are strongly different in many ways. In fact, white-collar crime only in very rare cases becomes the object of criminal repression. In return, street crimes are given higher priority to prevent the criminals from committing the same crime again and again. As a result, the need to resolve these particular crimes and find the perpetrators is of great importance for law enforcement agencies.
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White Collar Crime Essay
Introduction, motivations, consequences and punishment for white-collar crime, laws pertaining to white collar crime.
Champion (2011) defines white collar crimes as “a non violent crime, usually committed in commercial situations, for financial gain.” The Federal Bureau of Investigations cites the use of concealment, deceit or trust-violation as the primary mechanisms for committing these crimes.
Individuals often carry out these offenses in order to access property, services or property. Alternatively, they may do so as a protective measure against the loss of these latter incentives. Others engage in white-collar crime in order to gain an advantage over their colleagues at work or in business.
The public categorizes white-collar crime as non violent. Many wrongfully assume that it is a victimless crime because of this label. However cheating, stealing and deceit are synonymous to the crime, and have the potential to destroy families, companies, investors or even an economy.
Parties affected by the crime and how it affects them
White collar criminals place more emphasis on their personal needs than their organization’s to the point of downplaying the real costs of their actions. For instance, a lawyer may dishonestly increase the number of billable hours that he did per file. If this same person handles about 70 cases per week, then the organization could lose about $150,000 dollars in revenue. Once the tactic becomes commonplace, then the organization could lose millions in annual returns (Naso, 2012).
Aside from the increased losses experienced by such firms, white collar crimes also shortchange clients. Professionals, sellers and business persons will make promises that they cannot deliver and this will render them uncompetitive. For instance, the above lawyer would claim that he has made a court appearance when he has not.
Clients will keep wondering why their cases are dragging on and may take their business elsewhere. This type of crime also harms coworkers because someone will get credit for work they have not done. The white-collar criminal may seem more hardworking or diligent than their peers, and this could attract incentives like promotions, salaries or other perks.
Honest coworkers may become demoralized over such a state of affairs and the institution will lose out. In the world of business, entrepreneurs who engage in white-collar crime may seem more lucrative for partnership than their honest counterparts. Customers may take their business there under the assumption that they will be better off. In the end, the white-collar criminals rarely deliver while the honest businessmen may become demoralized or even go out of business.
In developing nations, white collar crime manifests as corruption. This stems from the fact that white collar crime is so deeply entrenched in their corporate system that it has become almost a necessity to do business. In places like Russia, a business has no chance of survival if it does not pay bribes to government bureaucrats (Healy & Ramanna, 2013). Failure to do so leads to withheld contracts, lack of supplies and eventually complete shutdown.
Many state-owned corporations in these corrupt nations often create shell companies that enable them to siphon company assets or profits to third parties. They often use up dividends that would have been paid to shareholders or applied in business development. As a consequence, stakeholders in the business fail to get what is rightfully theirs. Extortion and bribes are a form of backroom tax that demoralizes entrepreneurs and investors alike. It discourages people from trading and thus stifles a nation’s ability to grow or innovate.
This has an adverse implication on the population’s quality of life because only few people will be willing to invest. When prosecutors, government officials and law enforcers treat white collar crime as a normal part of business, then victims will never get justice.
This culture tarnishes the fabric of society as civilians have no public body that they can trust. The presence of white-collar crime in the public sector makes it easier for hardened or violent criminals to get away with their wrongs. It devastates family members and casualties of violent crime.
Calabresi & Saporito (2012) explains that convicted offenders may serve jail time upon completion of their cases. Sometimes this could range from a few months to several years depending on the extent of offense. The courts could also decide to impose fines for such crimes. A case in point was the payment of a 1-million-dollar fine for fraud by a Wall Street investor.
However, this is contingent on how the prosecutor collected the evidence in the first place. Most law enforcement officials rely on wire taps to nub white collar criminals, yet the law limits use of wire taps unless one has probable cause for the commission of a crime. Additionally, the lack of standard definitions of insider trading limits successful prosecution and incarceration of suspects.
Most white-collar crimes take the form of insider trading; as a consequence, ambivalent definitions and standards on the same impede law enforcers from taking actions. A lot of dynamics come into play when a judge must decide on the threshold of insider trading that leads to criminal violations.
After the 2007-2008 global economic meltdown, many governments realized that white-collar crime could lead to dire consequences. They started looking at companies such as Worldcom and Enron, which failed to nip these problems at the bid (Kaplan, 2013). Therefore, in some countries, white collar crime can elicit sentences that mirror sentences in violent crime. They have created guidelines which judges must use when making sentencing decisions.
Whether white-collar crime should be punished more severely
White-collar criminals should indeed receive greater penalties for the wrongdoings. Marks (2012) affirms that these are individuals who do not have a moral compass. They are highly deceptive people who will twist and bend the truth in order to achieve selfish gains. Such groups will ignore the real costs of their actions and thus engage in conduct that has adverse consequences on everyone concerned.
White-collar criminals seem to have an entitlement mentality that makes them think that they can get away with misdeeds. It is easy for them to rationalize their actions and immoral conduct. They lack a standard that guides their behavior, so they are likely to commit these offenses. It is incumbent upon stakeholders in the legal system to create tougher laws that would deter such persons.
When an individual lacks direction from within, then the law should step in to restrain them. Severe penalties would act as a control to keep the deviations of such people in check. Failure to reign in on such behavior could leave the corporate scene in a state of disorder.
As mentioned in earlier sections of the paper, white-collar crime has dire consequences upon the masses. When left unchecked, whole organizations may close and thousands of people could lose their jobs. Families that depend on them would be helpless. White collar crime should elicit severe penalties in order to protect the masses of people that could be affected by the actions of just a few individuals.
The principal of just punishment states that a person who commits a wrongdoing out of negligence deserves a lenient penalty over a person who knowingly commits a crime. People who take part in white collar crime are well-aware of their actions. Furthermore, many of them have been doing the same things for years on end.
It makes a lot of sense to give severe punishment to recidivists than first-time criminals (Kaplan, 2013). Prosecutors may catch a white collar criminal for the first time but this does not imply that the suspect has not been committing the wrong repeatedly. When investigators find such individuals, they should endeavor to establish how long they have been engaging in the act and thus match the punishment with the crime.
In today’s highly competitive business environment, some companies encourage their employees to do whatever it takes to succeed. In the absence of an external deterrent, these employees will commit white collar crimes under the guise of propagating the company’s competiveness. Severe penalties would curb such a problem.
White collar crime is not a victimless crime. It demoralizes honest employees and entrepreneurs who never get rewards for their diligence. This leads to poor service outcomes for clients who must contend with substandard offerings. Additionally, it may cause serious financial losses.
Entire organizations can close because of uncurbed white collar crime. Family members of such parties would have no redress. This crime also discourages investors and stifles business growth. Eventually, a nation’s economy could be severely impeded. It is for these reasons that punishment should be harsher. Such an approach would exert external controls on persons with no internal moral compass.
Calabresi, M. & Saporito, B. (2012). The street fighter. Time, 179(6), 22-27. Web.
Champion, D. (2011). White-collar crimes and organizational offending: An integral approach. International Journal of Business, Humanities and Technology, 1(3), 34-47. Web.
Healy, P. & Ramanna, K. (2013). When the crowd fights corruption. Harvard Business Review, 91(1), 122-128. Web.
Kaplan, D. (2013). The judge who rules on business. Fortune , 167(2), 106. Web.
Marks, J. (2012). A matter of ethics: understanding the mind of a white-collar criminal. Financial Executive, November, 31-34. Web.
Naso, R. (2012). When money and morality collide: White collar crime and the paradox of integrity. Psychoanalytic Psychology, 26(2), 241-254. Web.
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Effects Of Street Crime Versus White Collar Crime
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White Collar Crime
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