Corporate And White Collar Crimes example essay topic

CJC 1001 Major Essay: " Corporate and White Collar Crimes are less serious than other kinds of crimes, such as violent crime". Discuss. Corporate and White-Collar crimes are seen as the crime of the truly sly and greedy, but what exactly do these crimes consist of? As first stated by American sociologist and criminologist Edwin Sutherland, White Collar Crime "may be defined approximately as a crime committed by a person of respectability and high social status in the course of his occupation". (Barnett, 2002) This includes such crimes as fraud, embezzlement. Etc.

Corporate crime is organised by the executives or people of higher status in order to benefit the company itself. These crimes have existed for decades, and still occur on a day to day basis and affect the whole nation. Yet how serious are these sorts of crimes compared to others? It could be said that corporate and white-collar crimes are less serious than other street crimes such as violence by comparing the effects of both, such as the long-term physical or financial losses. This cannot be completely true, as it ultimately depends on the individual situation. Some extremes cases of corporate and white-collar crime have just as an intense sequence on people's lives as another sort of crime might have.

Corporate and White collar crimes can be looked upon as very serious offences in society. These violations tend to happen much more often than anybody cares to think; yet it easily goes unnoticed. Sitting at a computer, quietly typing away is so much easier to get away with than mugging somebody. With the help of technology, the process of this sort of criminal activity is becoming easier and easier. At the touch of a key, and the click of a mouse a crime is taking place. This plays an attractive factor in that of corporate and White-collar crime.

The majority of offenders escape from having to face any consequences. If White collar law-breakers are caught by their organisation, further action is rarely taken. The offender is often discharged without being reported to the police, or being punished. Large corporations usually prefer not to spoil their reputations with such negative publicity and handle matters quietly. Although, there are a few cases where matters are pursued by courts, especially in corporate crime. Light sentences are handed out, time and time again, with fines mostly dealt out if the criminal is convicted.

The average fine given out by Australian courts for regulatory violations is only $200. (Braithwaite & Grabosky, 1986, p. 4). Most offenders have no previous criminal record, perhaps influencing the court's leniency. This is not always the case however. As Braithwaite and Grabosky (1986, p. 2) had reported, In 1983, over 10 tonnes of oil spilled into Botany Bay by an Australian Oil refinery pipeline. It was their fifth oil spill in seven years and they were charged only $300.

This goes to show just how seriously our justice system views corporate and white-collar crime. This kind of attitude gives repeat offenders the chance to keep this crime up. Other prospective criminals are also encouraged to interact in this illegal behaviour, as the fear of punishment is absent, it is a minor slap on the wrist. Corporate and white-collar crime can have a huge impact on people's lives. There is not only one victim, it affects many lives.

These violations affect consumers, employees, the general public and other honest businessmen and women. Our whole nation is affected by these criminal acts as demonstrated in 1981 by the Australian Medical association; the cost of fraud and over servicing by medical practitioners costed approximately $100 million annually. Another example is Treasury's 1985 Draft White paper, which estimated losses of $3 billion each year from tax fraud. (Braithwaite & Grabosky, 1986, p. 1) Stress and anxiety is another negative element of corporate and white-collar crime. The stress of committing such crimes (a fairly reputable person), or being a victim can often leave people with harmful, sometimes fatal experiences such as high blood pressure, heart attacks, cancer, even as far as suicide. This is another significant area, which should be taken into consideration, as there seriously is a physical risk that is closely identified with these offences.

Employees are possibly the most at risk. Braithwaite and Grabosky, (1986, p. 1) state that a notable proportion of the hundreds of deaths, and the tens of thousands of injuries which occur in the work place each year arise from the violation of occupational health and safety laws. Corporate and white-collar crime is always being depicted as a minor problem in society. There is not as much emphasis on corporate and white-collar crimes as there is on street crimes, and the resources available are limited due to lack of street demand. Yet corporate crime statistics are worse than street crime statistics, but there are no national statistics on corporate affairs enforcement.

(Braithwaite & Grabosky, 1986, p. 3) This makes it hard to make comparisons between street crimes and corporate crime due to the lack of statistics accessible. Yet it appears that corporate crimes may have a larger impact on our lives than we think; "It may well be that corporate crime causes more death, injury and financial loss than does common street crime". (Braithwaite & Grabosky, 1986, p. 3) The media also tends to ignore issues of corporate crime, as it is not as 'juicy' as other crime stories, such as violent ones. This is another factor in why society cannot recognise what illegal activity is occurring in the corporate world. Corporate and white-collar crimes are not looked into deeply enough, then perhaps the seriousness of these crimes would be considered. They need to be treated just as other crimes are.

After all, a crime is a crime, whether committed behind a computer desk or in a dark alley and progressive action must be taken to prevent this behaviour. A strict message needs to be sent out to corporate and white-collar criminals, in order to discourage others from committing these inexcusable crimes. Looking at the argument from a different perspective, we can understand that corporate crimes are illegal acts, but can we really class them with other major crimes such as violence? The effects of corporate crimes and violent crimes can differ widely.

By the majority of society, Violence is looked upon as the most serious crime, it leaves an array of negative effects behind short, and long term, the most serious fatal. The effects of such a terrifying experience can leave the victim suffering in many ways. Long term physical outcomes can leave the victim paralysed, or in pain for the rest of their life. A long-term psychological impact may be even worse leaving the victim in fear, without normal psychological functioning. People argue that the main goal of corporate crimes is money, and considered less serious as violent crimes include human lives.

Financial losses can be reimbursed, yet the value of a human cannot. Perhaps these crimes are not viewed as very serious due to our society's values and beliefs. We see other crimes on the agenda are more important to us considering our values. Although it veils it, It still doesn't devalue the importance of this matter. As stated previously, it is difficult to measure corporate and white-collar crimes with street crimes, more extensive research must be conducted in order to reveal what we are really dealing with.