Social Class and Crime

What is White Collar Crime?

When a person uses their job or company to commit a crime for personal gain.

What are examples of white collar crime?

• Embezzlement

• Fraud

• Insider trading

What are corporate crimes?

Crimes committed by a company to increase profits and the company's standing.

What are examples of corporate crimes?

• Health and safety violations

• Paying below minimum wage

What are street crimes (Blue collar crimes)?

Crimes typically committed in public and often involve violence or the threat of violence.

What are examples of street crimes?

• Theft

• Assault

• Vandalism

• Shoplifting

What are prison statistics?

Prison populations are disproportionately made up of individuals from the working class compared to the middle or upper classes.

What are types of crimes?

• Working class

• Middle class

What are types of working class crime?

Street crimes (theft, assault, shoplifting)

What are types of middle class crimes?

Mostly white-collar crime, corporate crime, and cybercrime

What are explanations for trends in social class and crime?

• Selective law enforcement

• Selective law creation

What is selective law enforcement?

• The police force and criminal justice system treat the working class and the middle class differently.

• Middle-class offenders are seen as having made a mistake and may receive a "slap on the wrist."

• Working-class offenders are more likely to be arrested for the same crime.

• Many corporate crimes are not investigated or prosecuted by the criminal justice system.

What is selective law creation?

• Those who create laws are often from the middle and upper classes.

• They can manipulate the law to their own needs and know ways to manipulate the law for their own benefit.

What are labelling and stereotypes?

• The working class is often labelled as more criminogenic.

• The criminal justice system sees working-class individuals as making conscious choices to commit a crime.

• Middle-class individuals are seen as making a mistake or unintentionally committing a crime.

What are explanations for white collar corporate crime?

• Strain theory

• Control theory

• Criminogenic capitalism

• Labelling theory

• Rational choice/opportunity

• Edgework/masculinity

Who is the theorist for strain theory?

Reiner

What is strain theory?

• Explains working-class crime using Merton’s strain theory.

• Explains middle-class crime and white-collar crime by suggesting there is no limit to financial or material success, so even those who appear successful can feel strain.

Who are theorists for control theory?

Murray and Hirschi

What did Murray say about control theory?

The underclass is responsible for the majority of street crime.

What did Hirschi say about control theory?

The underclass is more likely to lack impulse control and bonds to the community, which prevents them from committing crimes.

Who is the theorist for criminogenic capitalism?

Gordon

What did Gordon say about criminogenic capitalism?

• Capitalism encourages the working class to be criminal by creating a culture of envy and hostility.

• They commit utilitarian crime to survive in a capitalist system and commit non-utilitarian crime to vent frustration at being oppressed.

• Middle-class crime can be explained as capitalism encourages those who are rich to enrich themselves further.

Who is the theorist for the labelling theory?

Becker

What did Becker say about the labelling theory?

• The working class is unfairly targeted by the Criminal Justice System.

• They are less likely to be able to negotiate the system to their advantage.

• The police tend to patrol working-class areas more, resulting in higher crime statistics for the working class than the middle class.

What is the rational choice/opportunity?

• The middle class has more opportunities to commit white-collar crime and corporate crime.

• They hold positions within companies that give them access required to commit this type of crime.

Who are the theorists for edgework/masculinity?

Messerschimdt and Katz

What did Messerschimdt say about edgework/masculinity?

Middle-class men who engage in white-collar crime may do so to show off their masculinity.

What did Katz say about edgework and masculinity?

Engaging in white-collar crime can also be linked to the idea of edgework and the feeling of excitement and adrenaline that the acts may give.

What is the evaluation of social class and crime?

• Doesn’t explain why only some people commit crimes and not all people or companies use crime to resolve problems.

• Additionally, it is difficult to gain accurate statistics on corporate and white-collar crime as these are not always reported to the police and often resolved in-house or through an ombudsman.