The Criminology Of White Collar Crime

The book will synthesize and integrate better what are often disparate ideas, themes, and methods across substantive areas of white-collar crime and criminology and criminal justice. The book also puts together critical and emerging topics within criminology and criminal justice that have important implications for the study of white-collar crime and criminology/criminal justice more generally.

A comprehensive and state-of the-art overview from internationally-recognized experts on white-collar crime covering a broad range of topics from many perspectives Law enforcement professionals and criminal justice scholars have debated the most appropriate definition of “white-collar crime” ever since Edwin Sutherland first coined the phrase in his speech to the American Sociological Society in 1939. The conceptual ambiguity surrounding the term has challenged efforts to construct a body of science that meaningfully informs policy and theory. The Handbook of White-Collar Crime is a unique re-framing of traditional discussions that discusses common topics of white-collar crime—who the offenders are, who the victims are, how these crimes are punished, theoretical explanations—while exploring how the choice of one definition over another affects research and scholarship on the subject. Providing a one-volume overview of research on white-collar crime, this book presents diverse perspectives from an international team of both established and newer scholars that review theory, policy, and empirical work on a broad range of topics. Chapters explore the extent and cost of white-collar crimes, individual- as well as organizational- and macro-level theories of crime, law enforcement roles in prevention and intervention, crimes in Africa and South America, the influence of technology and globalization, and more. This important resource: Explores diverse implications for future theory, policy, and research on current and emerging issues in the field Clarifies distinct characteristics of specific types of offences within the general archetype of white-collar crime Includes chapters written by researchers from countries commonly underrepresented in the field Examines the real-world impact of ambiguous definitions of white-collar crime on prevention, investigation, and punishment Offers critical examination of how definitional decisions steer the direction of criminological scholarship Accessible to readers at the undergraduate level, yet equally relevant for experienced practitioners, academics, and researchers, The Handbook of White-Collar Crime is an innovative, substantial contribution to contemporary scholarship in the field.

For more than three decades, rational-choice theory has reigned as the dominant approach both for interpreting crime and as underpinning for crime-control programs. Although it has been applied to an array of street crimes, white-collar crime and those who commit it have thus far received less attention. Choosing White-Collar Crime is a systematic application of rational-choice theory to problems of explaining and controlling white-collar crime. It distinguishes ordinary and upperworld white-collar crime and presents reasons theoretically for believing that both have increased substantially in recent decades. Reasons for the increase include the growing supply of white-collar lure and non-credible oversight. Choosing White-Collar Crime also examines criminal decision making by white-collar criminals and their criminal careers. The book concludes with reasons for believing that problems of white-collar crime will continue unchecked in the increasingly global economy and calls for strengthened citizen movements to rein in the increases.

The book will synthesize and integrate better what are often disparate ideas, themes, and methods across substantive areas of white-collar crime and criminology and criminal justice. The book also puts together critical and emerging topics within criminology and criminal justice that have important implications for the study of white-collar crime and criminology/criminal justice more generally.

The book will synthesize and integrate better what are often disparate ideas, themes, and methods across substantive areas of white-collar crime and criminology and criminal justice. The book also puts together critical and emerging topics within criminology and criminal justice that have important implications for the study of white-collar crime and criminology/criminal justice more generally.

`This timely collection contains contemporary case studies and critical analyses by leading writers in the study of white collar corporate crime. It makes an invaluable contribution to the ′criminology of the corporation′" - Professor Hazel Croall, Glasgow Caledonian University Corporate and White Collar Crime is an essential overview of this diverse subject area and encourages students to develop a broad understanding of the topic. Aimed primarily at undergraduate and postgraduate students in Criminology, Criminal Justice and Business and Management Studies, the book will cross-over into many other disciplines including Law and Social Policy. "This is an innovative and multidisciplinary analysis of corporate and white collar crime that is both theoretically and empirically rich. The text serves as a poignant reminder why research involving the powerful must be a central part of criminological inquiry and why this book is essential reading." Professor Reece Walters, The Open University "Again and again, pension funds are pillaged, investors fleeced, commuters killed, workers maimed, and communities poisoned. Why is it that so few of these acts are defined as crimes, and why is it that, even when they are, prosecution is so rarely effective? Corporate Crime and White Collar Crime addresses these very questions through its rigorous, well-developed analysis and its wide ranging empirical focus - on Europe, North America, Asia and beyond. The book can help all of us to re-examine our understanding of the nature of crime and of criminals, and to reassess the costs as well as the benefits of our current economic, political and social order." Professor Frank Pearce, Queen′s University, Canada

Written as a text for undergraduate courses, this book appeals to instructors interested in teaching the field of white-collar crime, both from a matter-of-fact investigative perspective as well as a decidedly academic endeavor. Accordingly, it goes beyond discussing the basic theories and typologies of commonly-encountered offenses such as fraud, forgery, embezzlement, and currency counterfeiting, to include the legalistic aspects of white-collar crime. It also explores the investigative tools and analytical techniques needed if students wish to pursue careers in this field. Because of the inextricable links between abuse-of-trust crimes such as misuse of government office, nepotism, and bribery and the realm of corporate corruption, these issues are also included. The text also maintains a connection between white-collar crime and acts of international terrorism; as well as the more controversial aspects of possible abuses of power within the public arena posed by the USA Patriot Act of 2001 and the asset forfeiture process. Adapted readings at the end of each chapter provide readable cases of white collar crime in action to illustrate the principles / theories presented. Activities, Exercises, and Photographs are also included in each of the 10 chapters and a Companion Web Site provides additional test items and other instructor support material.

Unlike other books of its kind, Understanding White-Collar Crime: An Opportunity Perspective uses a coherent theoretical perspective in its coverage of white-collar crime. Using opportunity perspective, or the assumption that all crimes depend on offenders having some sort of opportunity to commit an offense, allows the authors to uncover the processes leading up to white-collar crimes and offer potential solutions to this rampant issue, without being reductive in their treatment of the topic. With this second edition, Benson and Simpson have greatly expanded their coverage to include new case studies, substantive materials, and an annotated appendix of online resources to make this a core book for courses on white-collar crime.