Lecture 9: White-Collar, Corporate, and Green Criminology

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering white-collar crime, corporate crime, green criminology, and police misconduct based on the lecture notes for Chapter 7.

White-collar crimes

Crimes where the individual is the beneficiary, including fraud, scams, income tax evasion, employee theft, and embezzlement.

Corporate crimes

Crimes where the company is the beneficiary, such as antitrust violations, price-fixing, and false advertising.

Juristic person

The legal status of a corporation being treated as a person under the law.

Ford Pinto Case (1971)

A case involving a vehicle with a known gas tank defect that was released to production to avoid delays and correction costs.

$$40\,km/h$$

The crash test speed at which the Ford Pinto gas tank was found to rupture, causing fires and injuries.

$$11$$

The specific unit cost in dollars per vehicle required to correct the Ford Pinto gas tank defect.

$$200,000$$

The unit cost per death used by Ford in their benefits and costs relating to fuel leakage analysis.

$$67,000$$

The unit cost per serious burn injury used by Ford in their benefits and costs relating to fuel leakage analysis.

$$700$$

The unit cost per burned vehicle used in the Ford Pinto benefits calculation.

Total Benefit calculation (Ford Pinto)

$$180 \times (200,000) + 180 \times (67,000) + 2100 \times (700) = 49.5\text{ Million}$$

Total Cost calculation (Ford Pinto)

$$11,000,000 \times (11) + 1,500,000 \times (11) = 137\text{ Million}$$

$25$ months

The actual production time for the Ford Pinto, which was significantly shorter than the usual $43$ months.

$$500$$

The minimum number of burn deaths resulting from the Ford Pinto gas tank defect.

Automobile Protection Association (APA)

Canada’s automobile consumer watchdog that concerns itself with the car maker recall system.

George Iny

The director of the Automobile Protection Association (APA) who commented on the goodwill of car makers.

Conflict theories

Macro explanations of crime stating that laws reflect the interests of wealthy and powerful groups in society.

Merton's Strain theory

A micro explanation used to help understand white-collar crime behaviors as rationalizations of goals.

Techniques of neutralization

A theoretical concept used by individuals to rationalize and justify white-collar crime behaviors.

Corporate culture view

The theory that the corporate world encourages and ignores infractions through differential association and learned motives.

David Reiner

An accountant who defrauded $24$ daycares and served $13$ months inside after a early parole.

$$800,000$$

The amount of money David Reiner defrauded from daycare centers.

Earl Jones

A financial advisor who took $50\text{ Million}$ from $158$ victims, many of whom were elderly or widowed.

Green Criminology

The study of environmental damage caused by human activity through a criminological lens, often linked to critical criminology.

Environmental racism

A concept shedding light on the disproportionate impact of environmental pollution on racialized and low-income communities.

Differential Victimization

The idea that people are not impacted by pollution and environmental harm in the same way, with poor and minority communities more likely to be affected.

Grassy Narrows

A community in Canada that has experienced differential victimization due to high mercury content and polluted water.

Dylan Fobister

A Grassy Narrows resident featured in the video discussing the lack of fresh water.

Crime in trusted organizations

When individuals such as doctors, lawyers, or clergy betray public trust within their occupational roles.

Police misconduct

Situations where police actions are inconsistent with legal authority, organizational authority, and ethical standards.

$$408$$

The number of RCMP members accused of misconduct in the year $2024$.

$$443$$

The total number of misconduct cases involving RCMP members reported for $2024$.

$$25\%$$

The percentage of RCMP misconduct cases in $2024$ that resulted in serious disciplinary measures.

Rotten apple hypothesis

An individual-focused explanation for police misconduct rather than a structural focus.

Institutional / structural focus

An approach to police misconduct that examines how the institutional system allows or encourages problematic behavior.

Nathan Parker

The officer who was shot during an exchange between two police officers and ended up being charged.

Special Investigation Units (SIUs)

Units established in the $1990\text{s}$ to provide oversight for police misconduct.

Who polices the police?

A Fifth Estate documentary investigating police misconduct and the Special Investigation Units.

$$90$$

The total number of multiple-choice questions on the CRCJ 1000A final exam.

Occupational death

Deaths occurring due to work-related conditions or corporate violations of safety standards.

David Reiner's sentence

A legal penalty of $2$ years + $1$ day for defrauding daycare centers.