Use of the term “white collar crime” to refer to some category of illegal, or at least deviant, conduct is now a common feature of our linguistic landscape. Sociologists and criminologists, though disagreeing among themselves about exactly what the term means, have been talking about white collar crime for more than sixty years.

Most people shrug white collar crime off as a rare event, fooling themselves into believing that the damage is small. In actuality, the cost is over $44 billion per year for fraud based white collar crime just in the United States.

The term "white-collar crime" refers to the corrupt business practices of individuals in powerful positions, especially corporate leaders and government officials. Edwin Sutherland first coined the phrase during the 1939 annual meeting of the American Sociological Society. He argued that corporate and governmental officials regularly commit crimes that are as destructive to society as those of violent blue-collar criminals. This same concept is the root of federal white-collar crimes, as well as international anti-corruption initiatives.

Although it is acceptable to use socioeconomic characteristics of the offender to define white-collar crime, it is impossible to measure white-collar crime with UCR data if the working definition revolves around the type of offender. There are no socioeconomic or occupational indicators of the offender in the data. Additionally, there are no measures of corporate structure in UCR data elements. Given that, research using UCR data must approach white-collar crime in terms of type of offense.

The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) is the preeminent organization in the United States advancing the mission of the nation's criminal defense lawyers to ensure justice and due process for persons accused of crime or other misconduct.

The mission of NW3C is to provide a nationwide support system for agencies involved in the prevention, investigation, and prosecution of economic and high-tech crimes and to support and partner with other appropriate entities in addressing homeland security initiatives, as they relate to economic and high-tech crimes.

According to the Department of Justice, "White-collar offenses shall constitute those classes of non-violent illegal activities which principally involve traditional notions of deceit, deception, concealment, manipulation, breach of trust, subterfuge or illegal circumvention." Under that definition, the illegal purchase of preions and music pirating clearly qualify.

By the National Check Fraud Center.

Sutherland’s definition is now somewhat outdated for students of the criminal law. As white collar crime began to capture the attention of prosecutors and the public in the mid-1970s, the term came to have definitions quite different from the one Sutherland used. Indeed, studies have shown that crimes we generally consider “white collar,” such as securities fraud and tax fraud, are committed not just by persons of “high social status” but by people of divergent backgrounds.

White-collar crimes are crimes committed by the affluent in the course of normal business activities: Conspiracies==>use position for gain; Expanded by some to include a wider range of "middle-class" criminality and "high-tech" crimes; Legitimate business, deviant activity; Internal versus external judgements; Secrecy; Opportunity structures; Institutional climate.

The phrase "white-collar crime" was coined in 1939 during a speech given by Edwin Sutherland to the American Sociological Society. Sutherland defined the term as "crime committed by a person of respectability and high social status in the course of his occupation." Although there has been some debate as to what qualifies as a white-collar crime, the term today generally encompasses a variety of nonviolent crimes usually committed in commercial situations for financial gain.

Fraud—the art of deliberate deception for unlawful gain—is as old as history; the term "white-collar crime" was reportedly coined in 1939 by Professor Edwin Sutherland and has since become synonymous with the full range of frauds committed by business and government professionals. Today's con artists are more savvy and sophisticated than ever, engineering everything from slick online scams to complex stock and health care frauds. Here you can learn about the many white-collar crimes we investigate, how to protect yourself from common scams, and what to do if you think you've been victimized.

Within the field of criminology, white-collar crime or 'incorporated governance' has been defined by Edwin Sutherland as "a crime committed by a person of respectability and high social status in the course of his occupation" (1949). Sutherland was a proponent of Symbolic Interactionism, and believed that criminal behaviour was learned from interpersonal interaction with others. White-collar crime therefore overlaps with corporate crime because the opportunity for fraud, bribery, insider trading, embezzlement, computer crime, and forgery is more available to white-collar employees.

Corporate criminals are punished more harshly today than in the '80s, but hands-off executives may still face better odds.

While law-abiding citizens enjoy numerous benefits from the European single market, white collar criminals see advantages that they can exploit for their own selfish and anti-social behaviour. Furthermore, they perceive a low risk of being caught and punished under an elaborate network of different legislative systems, which are easier to dodge than a judicial complex set up for a single nation State.

An inevitable consequence of globalisation is a reassessment of the traditional principles of international law, which are founded upon the concept of sovereign nation states. In deference to this concept, UK courts have eschewed the assumption of any universal jurisdiction to try a civil or criminal case. Furthermore, they have upheld a policy of non-interference in a foreign state’s conduct of its affairs, particularly within its territorial jurisdiction.

This paper describes how a systematic analysis of economic incentives and social context factors can be provided through an interdisciplinary approach which combines the analytical powers of microeconomics (game theory) and criminology (control theories). The approach is discussed with regard to food quality and safety threatened by moral hazard.

Euler Hermes publishes the first representative study on German small and medium-sized companies – 86 percent of respondents regard white-collar crime as a serious problem – employees are involved in three quarters of all cases – the tendency is rising.

Then there are the men in the City in virtual tights. The world's financial capital leaks money like a fishnet. When the flow of cash is not measured in lorry-loads but in electronic trillions, you don't need a disguise; an inside job is much easier.

The White Collar Crime Investigation Team's mission is to provide, through the exchange of information and intelligence, an enhanced service to the law enforcement agencies of the United Kingdom Overseas Territories, United States of America, and United Kingdom in the investigation of significant fraud and financial crime, including money laundering and seizure of criminal assets.

Because white collar crime covers such a broad category of behaviours it was decided that a sharper focus was needed. For that reason, professional practice was chosen. This is also in itself very wide-ranging. It could include, for example, medical negligence, police corruption, solicitor dishonesty, musicians' breach of copyright, plagiarism, and the misrepresentation of scientific findings.

The Chinese government is cracking down on white-collar crime. New legislation aimed at strengthening the criminal code is being reviewed by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, the country's top legislature. The newly-amended draft will deal with emerging crime, such as evading debts through filing bankruptcy, credit card fraud, and deliberately interfering or harming national military communications.

One trend I am observing is the huge interest in Hong Kong in rogue traders and white collar crime – and how CEP can be used to detect and prevent this – before it moves the market. Obviously the original rogue trader, Nick Leeson, is well known here. But there has been a great deal of interest in more recent goings-on, at firms such as SocGen. Amazingly, until a couple of years ago, insider trading was not illegal in Hong Kong.

Tackling bribery and corruption has become a key focus for many prosecuting authorities around the world. The World Bank estimates that more than $1trn (£503m) is paid in bribes worldwide. As the global markets open up, governments want to ensure that companies are operating on a level playing field.

The preamble to the 2003 United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) states corruption “is no longer a local matter but a transnational phenomenon that affects all societies and economies”. Other international instruments such as the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business similarly acknowledge the need for international co-operation to combat corruption and note its corrosive effect on individuals and society.

Omitted from most of the recent discussions on the federalization of criminal law is the impact of federal investigations and prosecutions involving international activities. This essay specifically focuses on the international flavor developing in the prosecution of white collar crime. It discusses statutes with clear legislative language indicating extraterritoriality through either a direct international focus (Foreign Corrupt Practices Act), or through the specific incorporation of an extraterritorial provision in the statute.

Canada isn’t having much luck cleaning up its image as A country that is soft on white-collar crime. While Conrad Black faces up to 35 years in prison after his recent conviction in a Chicago courtroom, Canadian authorities are still licking their wounds after the recent acquittal of former Bre-X chief geologist John Felderhof on civil charges of insider trading.

This paper will comment on some general things about the state of penalties not just for fraud in particular, but for white-collar crime in general. There are two simple reasons for this. First, the problem of unsatisfactory penalties for fraud is part of a more general problem of limp or inappropriate penalties for white-collar crime. Second, fraud is a serious part of the problem in almost every area of white-collar crime.

Although the violent nature of crime in SA is often highlighted, white collar crimes are rampant and impact negatively on citizens' rights, an SA Human Rights Commission report released on Thursday said. "The scourge of crime in South Africa is by no means limited to violent crime," researchers wrote in the Human Rights Development Report.

White collar crime or commercial crime involves crimes such as fraud, bribery, corruption and the like. Although it does not receive as much publicity as other forms of crime, it costs South Africa and all its people dearly. This internet site will try to help people understand and recognise white collar crime and teach them what to do to help put a stop to it. It is a joint project between the South African Police Service's KwaZulu Natal Commercial Crime Branch, Business Against Crime's KwaZulu Natal White Collar Crime Task Group and J Blindell.

Articles written by attorneys and experts worldwide discussing legal aspects related to Criminal Law including: arson, assault, battery, bribery, burglary, child abuse, child pornography, computer crime, controlled substances, credit card fraud, criminal defense, criminal law, drugs and narcotics, DUI, DWI, embezzlement, fraud, expungements, felonies, homicide, identity theft, manslaughter, money laundering, murder, perjury, prostitution, rape, RICO, robbery, sex crimes, shoplifting, theft, weapons, white collar crime and wire fraud.

Arson is the malicious burning or exploding of the dwelling house of another, or the burning of a building within the curtilage, the immediate surrounding space, of the dwelling of another. Modern legislation has extended the definition of arson to include the burning or exploding of commercial and public buildings—such as restaurants and schools—and structures—such as bridges.

Assault is an act, usually consisting of a threat or attempt to inflict bodily injury upon another person, coupled with the apparent present ability to succeed in carrying out the threat or the attempt if not prevented, that causes the person to have a reasonable fear or apprehension of immediate harmful or offensive contact. Whereas, Aggravated Assault is a criminal assault accompanied by circumstances that make it more severe, such as the victim suffering serious bodily injury or an assault committed with a dangerous and deadly weapon. The additional circumstances that make the act an aggravated assault are set by statute.

Battery is the willful or intentional touching of a person against that person’s will by another person, or by an object or substance put in motion by that other person. Offensive touching can constitute battery even if it does not cause injury, and could not reasonably be expected to cause injury.

The crime of Bribery is defined as giving or taking money or some other valuable item in order to influence a public official (any governmental employee) in the performance of his/her duties. Bribery includes paying to get government contracts (cutting the roads commissioner in for a secret percentage of the profit), giving a bottle of liquor to a building inspector to ignore a violation or grant a permit, or selling stock to a Congressman at a cut-rate price, as examples.

Burglary is the criminal offense of breaking and entering any dwelling or building illegally with the intent to commit a felony or crime. Burglary laws vary by state. Depending on the seriousness of the offense, it can be classified into different degrees. Degrees of burglary are defined by each state's laws.

Child Abuse also called Child Maltreatment is the physical and/or psychological/emotional mistreatment of children. Physical or sexual abuse are the most obvious types of abuse, since they often leave physical evidence behind but emotional abuse and neglect are also serious types of child abuse. Child Abuse is enforced by international, federal, state and local laws.

Child Pornography is defined as the visual depiction of minor children under the age of 18 engaging in sex acts such as sexual intercourse, masturbation or oral sex and photographs or depictions of children’s genitalia. The law prohibits any form of distribution, possession, trafficking or production of such materials. Laws governing this area of practice are enforced by international, federal and state laws.

Computer Crimes are defined as illegal activities carried out on or by means of a computer. Computer crime includes criminal trespass into another computer system, theft of computerized data, and the use of an on-line system to commit or aid in the commission of fraud. Computer Crime Laws include the use of Internet and Cyberspace to commit or conduct criminal activities. Illegal activities include hacking, spamming, identify theft, fraud, child pornography, cyber terrorism and espionage to name a few.

Controlled Substances Law is enforced by the Drug Enforcement Administration. The DEA deals with the arrest of members of organizations involved in the growing, manufacturing, trafficking or the distribution of controlled substances such as chemicals, drugs, or compounds of which the use and/or purchase is illicit.

Credit card fraud is a kind of fraud committed to make purchases using someone else’s credit card or credit card number with the intent to defraud. Common forms of credit card fraud include counterfeiting credit cards, using lost or stolen cards, and fraudulently acquiring credit cards through the mail. Credit card fraud is also related to identity theft.

Criminal Law or penal law, involves prosecution by the government of a person for an act that has been classified as a crime. It is the body of statutory and common law that deals with crime and the legal punishment of criminal offenses. There are four theories of criminal justice: punishment, deterrence, incapacitation, and rehabilitation. It is believed that imposing sanctions for the crime, society can achieve justice and a peaceable social order. This differs from civil law in that civil actions are disputes between two parties that are not of significant public concern.

Criminal Defense Law is defined as the prosecution by the state and federal government as well as international courts of law of a person or business for an act that has been classified as a crime.

Drug Crimes and Charges Law deals with all state, federal and international laws that govern the use, penalties, restrictions and regulations that apply to drug possession, trafficking, distribution and manufacturing.

Driving under the influence of alcohol (driving while intoxicated, drunk driving, drinking and driving, drink-driving) or other drugs, is the act of operating a motor vehicle (and even a bicycle, boat or horse in some jurisdictions) after having consumed alcohol, to the degree that mental and motor skills are impaired. It is a crime or offense in most countries around the world.

A type of financial fraud, Embezzlement consists of the misappropriation or secreting of financial assets. This offense is usually executed by one or more individuals to whom the assets have been entrusted.

Expungement is defined as the sealing of a criminal record. Requests for Expungement are enforced by Federal and State Laws; regulations and expunction procedures vary according to the Criminal Code of each State.

Identity Theft sometimes called Identity Fraud occurs when someone wrongfully obtains and uses another person's identifying information like the person’s name, social security number or credit card number, without permission, usually for financial gain. Identity theft is the fastest growing crime in North America.

Internet and Cyberspace Crime Law deals with all aspects of crimes committed via the Internet and the legal authorities who enforce these laws. This area of law is regulated by international as well as United States federal and state laws. You can find additional information regarding this area of practice in our Computer Crimes Section.